The Republican Cruelty on Transgender Rights
As Pride Month comes to an end, Republican lawmakers continue to attack transgender rights with unwavering cruelty.
More than 100 anti-transgender bills have been introduced across 33 states within the first few months of this year. Most horrifically, Republicans are targeting transgender youth the most from banning athlete participation in sports teams and even “banning gender-affirming medical treatments” to minors.
We’re in the midst of an unprecedented effort from Republican-run state legislatures to subjugate the transgender community.
Restrictions proposed within these bills include stopping transgender people from using restrooms or changing facilities that align with their gender identity, preventing transgender youths from playing on sports teams reflecting their gender, and even banning gender-affirming medical treatment such as puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones for transgender minors.
The cruelty of these bills’ potential impact is outright horrific. There’s evidence that transgender youths who receive puberty-delaying treatment are dramatically less likely to contemplate suicide than those who don’t. One Arkansas doctor who treats transgender youths testified to state lawmakers considering a bill to ban medical services to these patients: “There have been multiple kids in the emergency room for attempted suicide since the bill was introduced. I guarantee if this bill passes, children will die. And I will call you every single time.”
Transgender woman Alison Gill from Maryland joins LGBTQ supporters in front of the Supreme Court on Oct. 8, 2019, in Washington. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP)
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