Minnesota is advancing a bill to make the state a refuge for transgender youth seeking gender-affirming care and for their supportive parents.
The state’s House of Representatives Friday approved House File 146, which “would prevent state courts or officials from complying with child removal requests, extraditions, arrests or subpoenas related to gender-affirming health care that a person receives in Minnesota,” as explained by Minnesota Public Radio.
The bill passed by a vote of 68-62 after debate that stretched from Thursday night to early Friday morning. It now goes to the Senate. Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, has promised to sign it if it reaches his desk.
Walz recently issued an executive order protecting gender-affirming care in Minnesota and barring state agencies from cooperating with out-of-state officials seeking to prevent or penalize such care. But it’s important to also write that into law, said its sponsor, Rep. Leigh Finke, Minnesota’s first out transgender state legislator.
“It’s just absolutely crucial that we keep doing this work to build these protections and not worry about what could happen in the future. We need a law behind it,” she told reporters Thursday, according to TV station WCCO.
“In the staggering rise of anti-transgender and anti-LGBTQIA2S+ legislation by extremist Republicans, Minnesota is a beacon of hope for trans and gender-expansive children and their families,” she noted. “The passing of the trans refuge bill will send a strong message to the trans community that they are loved, supported, and protected here in our state.”
California has passed similar “refuge” legislation, while some other states have outlawed most or all gender-affirming care for trans minors, including South Dakota and Iowa, both of which border Minnesota. Others that have banned or restricted it through legislation are Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Utah. Florida has put a ban in place through its medical boards and is considering a bill for an even stricter measure. The Alabamaand Arkansas bans are temporarily blocked by court action. Bans are pending in several other states.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, has vetoed a bill that would ban gender-affirming health care for transgender minors, limit school instruction on LGBTQ+ issues, and allow outing of LGBTQ+ students, but the Republican-controlled legislature could override his veto.
Minnesota is advancing several other measures to protect trans people, WCCO reports. A House committee has OK’d a bill that would add gender identity and expression to the state’s hate-crimes law. Another bill pending in the legislature would amend Minnesota’s constitution to guarantee equality under the law regardless of race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, ancestry, or national origin. If legislators pass it, it would go to voters for final approval.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced that it still considers mpox a public health emergency of international concern, just days after the UK confirmed it would wind down its vaccination campaign against the virus.
Men who have sex with men have been disproportionately affected in the mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) outbreak that began in May 2022.
In an update about the virus on 24 March, Dr Rosamund Lewis, from the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, said this was still the case.
Almost 90,000 cases and 97 deaths across more than 110 countries have been recorded since May last year.
“It is very important for people who may be at risk, particularly men who have sex with men, to continue to be mindful of how to reduce their risk by reducing the number of sexual partners, for example, and being aware when they are attending events where sexual activity may occur,” Lewis said.
She flagged that the risk of the virus spreading could rise in the northern hemisphere as gatherings and activities increase for spring and summer, “even as the outbreak is slowing down worldwide”.
Although the WHO still deems mpox an international public health emergency, the UK has moved towards ending its mpox vaccination campaign.
On 22 March, the government announced that a “targeted vaccine programme is no longer needed”, although first dose vaccinations will still be available through to 16 June and second doses until the end of July.
Since the programme began, 67,898 people have received their first dose of the vaccine and 26,619 people their second dose.
Only six cases of mpox were recorded in the UK between 1 January and 27 February 2023, compared to a high of 350 per week in July 2022.
In its announcement, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said vaccination “played a crucial role” in reducing the number of cases, but urged eligible people to still get vaccinated before the end of the campaign.
The UKHSA confirmed that it would continue to closely monitor mpox case numbers and “will retain the ability to stand up the vaccination programme if the risk of infection rises significantly”.
The UK isn’t the first country to wind down its mpox vaccination programme.
The WHO’s Dr Rosamund Lewis said that vital new information has come to light since case numbers spiked in May 2022.
“While the outbreak appeared to begin primarily in Caucasian men in Europe and North America and has spread around the world, we are now also learning that it is reaching more marginalised and ethnic and racial groups such as Black and Latino men who have a much higher rate of acquiring mpox in their communities and a much lower access to prevention measures and face greater stigma and discrimination.”
Citing the downward global trend in case numbers, Lewis pointed out that men who have sex with men “have taken charge of their own health” to reduce risk and the spread of the virus.
A transgender woman says she was assaulted and humiliated by a TSA agent at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport.
On Saturday, the woman posted a series of tweets describing the incident as well as a photo of herself crying in an airport bathroom. The alleged victim has since deleted the tweets and has made her Twitter account private.
The Biden administration just made travel a whole lot easier for transgender people with a series of policy changes. Retirement paperwork will get easier too.
“Hi, so a TSA agent at JFK punched me in the genitalia, yelled at me for having a penis (?) and humiliated me in front of everyone after i told her to please stop,” she wrote [LGBTQ Nation is not publishing her name to protect her privacy].
“She followed me into the women’s bathroom and began talking about me to a coworker while I sobbed in a stall,” she continued. “Anyone know what I can do?”
Screenshot A trans woman’s tweet describing an alleged assault by a TSA agent.
She later tweeted that she had been crying for an hour and that she was still experiencing physical pain as a result of the assault.
“I don’t want the tsa agent that hurt me fired,” she wrote. “I want her educated and the entirety of the tsa abolished altogether.”
Screenshot A trans woman’s tweet describing an alleged assault by a TSA agent.Screenshot A trans woman’s tweet describing an alleged assault by a TSA agent.
JFK’s official Twitter account later responded to the woman’s posts, requesting that she specify the terminal in which the incident occurred and asking for “any other details about this TSA agent that you are referring to,” according to Radar Online.
“We apologize again for your experience,” the airport’s account tweeted. “Your comments have been noted and shared.”
This isn’t the first time a trans person has accused the TSA of transphobia. In January, trans photographer Vincent-Natasha Gay reported severe mistreatment at the Orlando International Airport after a TSA agent performed a pat-down and loudly identified them as trans to fellow agents.
“The problem is that the TSA continually does not train their employees on how to respectfully pat down and talk to trans people,” Gay said.
In 2021, an Arizona trans woman posted a series of videos on TikTok detailing the humiliating experience of going through airport security.
“Can we talk about how horrible it is to travel while being transgender sometimes? I always have immense anxiety leading up to going through security,” Rosalynne Montoya said. “I totally recognize the privilege of having all of my documents correct. So, the gender marker on my license, for example, says female. But, going through the scanner, there’s a male scanner and a female scanner in the TSA checkpoint.”
“Going through the scanner, I always have an ‘anomaly’ between my legs that sets off the alarm,” she continued.
She described an incident in which she was forced to identify herself as trans to TSA agents after setting off a scanner’s alarm. An agent then asked her if she wanted to be patted down by a male officer.
“There is transphobia rooted into every system of power in this nation, so the root solution is to simply believe transgender people when they tell you who they are,” Montoya said in a subsequent post. “TSA needs to remove the gender settings from their scanners, and they should also believe me when I tell them that I’m a trans woman and that I don’t want to be pat down by a man or scanned as a man because I’m not one.”
In a statement to LGBTQ Nation following the January incident in Orlando, TSA said that it “recognizes the concerns of transgender/non-binary/gender nonconforming passengers with the security screening process, and the agency continues to implement the new algorithm on the Advanced Imaging Technology units to significantly reduce false alarms and improve efficiency for all passengers.”
On Monday, March 27, California legislators, Capitol staff, and community advocates will join trans+ community members to celebrate Transgender Week of Visibility, a series of celebrations leading up to International Transgender Day of Visibility on March 31.
Legislators will wear buttons declaring “trans people belong” and spread their message of solidarity and inclusion for trans+ Californians across social media channels. The message will be echoed by leaders in the executive branch, labor, and advocacy organizations who are working to create a more just world for transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming people.
“Across the country and even right here in California, trans people’s lives are being used for political purposes. These attacks bring real harm to our trans+ friends, colleagues, and loved ones, particularly our children,” said LGBTQ Caucus Chair Susan Talamantes Eggman. “It’s up to all of us to stand together with trans, gender non-conforming, and non-binary people to create communities that are safe for trans+ people to thrive.”
Trans Visibility Week and the International Transgender Day of Visibility, acknowledge and uplift the societal contributions of trans+ people. The week also raises awareness of widespread discrimination and violence that the community faces in the United States, around the world, and sadly, right here in California.
Trans visibility is more important than ever, as 429 bills attacking LGBTQ+ rights have been introduced in state legislatures across the nation, a record number, many particularly targeting transgender youth. Some of these proposals would force teachers to out trans students, deny trans youth the right to participate in sports and other activities, and deny affirming health care.
“Trans people shouldn’t have to fight just to exist or live safely in our communities,” said Evan Minton (he/they), a former Capitol staffer and national transgender advocate. “Trans visibility is an opportunity to celebrate the joy of being who we are.”
“The trans community deserves to live their authentic lives without the fear of harassment or violence. We are proud to join community advocate Evan Minton, state legislators, staffers, and the Capitol community to send a strong message that trans people belong and will never be erased,” said Equality California Executive Director Tony Hoang. “Now more than ever taking a unified stance against LGBTQ+ hate is imperative. Equality California remains committed to achieve full, lived LGBTQ+ equality for all.”
Monday’s Capitol events come after several historic actions this week in support of the trans+ community. Earlier this week, the Sacramento City Unified School District board held its first annual trans pride flag raising, sending a powerful message of inclusion to trans students, teachers, and the entire school community. Last week, the District also passed a strong resolution affirming the rights of trans students and encouraging classroom discussion on the importance of trans visibility. On Tuesday, the Sacramento City Council adopted a resolution declaring an annual Transgender Week of Visibility in the city. Sacramento County is considering a similar resolution on March 28.
For more information, follow @eqca, #transpeoplebelong #TransgenderDayofVisibility
A Nebraska state senator is causing waves in the state legislature after a scathing speech where she told her Republican colleagues that she is done being polite with them since they’re attacking her family. Namely, her 12-year-old son, who is transgender.
“My son is trans,” said state Sen. Megan Hunt (D), vowing to filibuster every bill the legislature takes up until a trans medical ban proposed by a Republican is withdrawn. “And this bill, colleagues, is such an affront to me personally and would violate my rights to parent my child in Nebraska.”
Despite Democrats’ filibuster that has shut down the legislature, the GOP won’t give in and move on.
She was referring to L.B. 574, which would ban doctors from providing gender-affirming care to transgender people under the age of 19. The measure includes puberty blockers, meaning that trans youth would have to go through puberty associated with the wrong gender and live with its permanent effects if this bill passes.
The bill is called the “Let Them Grow Act,” a reference to how Republicans believe that gender-affirming care is dangerous – but only when transgender youth accesses it. The bill bans certain procedures for transgender youth but explicitly allows them if they’re performed on intersex youth in order to appear more like the sex a doctor assigns to them at birth.
The American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics have all rejected claims that gender-affirming care harms transgender children or adults.
“If this bill passes, all your bills are on the chopping block, and the bridge is burned,” Hunt said in her speech.
“People have said, ‘What if we go after your bills? What if we put a bunch of bills introduced by progressives up on the agenda? Are you going to filibuster those, too?’ Yes, because we’re not like you,” she said. “We have a principle and a value that actually matters that much to us that we’re willing to stand up for.”
“You really don’t get it. You’ve crossed a line and you’ve gone too far.”
Then she said she was done even pretending to be polite with people who want to take health care away from her son.
“Don’t say hi to me in the hall, don’t ask me how my weekend was, don’t walk by my desk and ask me anything. Don’t send me Christmas cards ― take me off the list,” Hunt said. “No one in the world holds a grudge like me, and no one in the world cares less about being petty than me. I don’t care. I don’t like you.”
“This hateful bill is not about policy,” she added on Twitter. “It is a basic human rights issue. The vote today will show us exactly which senators value the dignity, autonomy, and personhood of Nebraskans. Do not cross this line. Do not violate our rights.”
For many years, we’ve relied on daily oral medications to treat HIV and to prevent HIV. But long-acting injectable options for both PrEP and treatment are an exciting new strategy that may increase acceptability, accessibility, and effectiveness. An injectable option is now available for both HIV treatmentand PrEP, and new research is showing how PrEP and treatment injections may transform our response to the epidemic.
Long-acting injections for prevention
Late in 2021, the FDA approved the first long-acting injectable option for PrEP. Named Apretude®, the medication is a long-acting version of the integrase inhibitor cabotegravir, and is delivered as an injection once every two months. Long-acting injectable cabotegravir has no limitations on which groups can use this method of HIV prevention, which is notable given some early PrEP studies which failed to show efficacy with cisgender women.
“Those of you who followed the PrEP literature know that there’s been a lot of controversy about how well oral PrEP works for vaginal exposures in cisgender women,” said Raphael Landovitz, MD, MSc, professor of medicine at UCLA Center for Clinical AIDS Research & Education, during “State of the Science” presentation on injectable PrEP. “A lot of people at the beginning said, ‘It doesn’t work for women, it can’t work for women,’ And it turns out that’s not true.”
The problem, Landovitz explained, is that the medicine that’s used for oral PrEP (TDF/FTC, brand name Truvada), “doesn’t get into the tissues of the genital tract [for cisgender women] as well as it gets into rectal tissue. So you have to have much better adherence to daily oral products to get protection for vaginal exposures… You need to be pretty well perfect in your daily adherence to the oral PrEP to get the vaginal protection.”
Injectable options may be a game-changer–particularly for cisgender women and with other folks who may struggle with adherence. In the HPTN 084 study, researchers found an 89% reduction in HIV infections among cisgender women provided with injectable cabotegravir PrEP compared to those offered oral TDF/FTC.
“In my mind, this is stunning. It’s mind blowing,” said Landovitz.
Photo: Prepared syringe of cabotegravir, courtesy of ViiV Healthcare
A recent PrEP study, presented at the 2023 CROI by Sybil Hosek, PhD, showed that injectable long-acting cabotegravir for PrEP could be a feasible option for younger sexually active adolescent cisgender women (12 – 17 years old). The young women in the study had “exceptional” adherence to injection visits, were very interested in long-acting HIV prevention medication, and most (92%) chose to continue taking injectable cabotegravir for PrEP over PrEP oral medication when given a choice.
During a report-back on the study presentation for Getting To Zero San Francisco, Hyman Scott, MD, MPH, said that although injection site reactions (pain, swelling) were common in the study, no participants discontinued the study early because of these reactions and the frequency of reactions decreased over time.
In terms of acceptability, “a lot of the young women talked about receiving injections to protect against HIV being easier than other methods,” said Scott.
It is of note that researchers do not yet have much data on injectable PrEP with people who inject drugs, and transmasculine and non-binary people. “Those are huge gaps in our understanding of how to use this product,” said Landovitz.
With Black men who have sex with men and Black trans women disproportionately affected by HIV in the U.S., a recent study by Hyman Scott, MD, MPH, and colleagues looked at the efficacy of injectable cabotegravir for PrEP among U.S.-based Black and African American participants enrolled in the HPTN 083 study.
Cabotegravir PrEP worked even better to prevent HIV infections than oral PrEP. Over the course of the study, there were 15 infections among those taking oral PrEP, and only 4 infections among those receiving injectable PrEP.
“This showed that this [injectable cabotegravir PrEP] is a highly effective intervention in that we see a really decreased incidence among those who are taking CAB-LA [long-acting cabotegravir PrEP],” said Scott.
Unfortunately, cost and affordability may be one thing that prevents widespread uptake of long-acting cabotegravir PrEP.
“All the insurance companies are playing hot potato by making people go through all sorts of hoops and bells and whistles to use it [long-acting injectable PrEP]. And I’m really concerned, particularly outside of the US as well, that it’s not going to be implementable,” said Landovitz.
Long-acting injections for treatment
For HIV treatment, Cabenuva (cabotegravir/rilpivirine) has been available as a once-monthly injection since early 2021, and new studies are evaluating the benefits that long-acting injectable treatments offer.
“The individuals who were taking the oral medications talked about some psychological social cycle issues, challenges with daily oral therapy,” said Dr. Scott. At the end of the study, 90% of participants preferred the injectable treatment option over daily oral medication, and reported benefits including “I don’t have to worry as much about remembering to take HIV medication every day,” and “I do not have to think about my HIV status every day.”
Another study presented at CROI by Monica Gandhi, MD, MPH, shared results from a real-world roll-out of injectable HIV treatment at the Ward 86 HIV Clinic in San Francisco. The clinic serves publicly insured people with high rates of mental illness (38%), substance use (39%), and unstable housing (34%), which may contribute to more difficulty in taking daily oral HIV medications.
Although more than 40% of people beginning injectable HIV treatment had detectable viral loads at the start of the study, nearly all (98%) achieved viral suppression. The vast majority of participants (74%) received on-time HIV treatment injections, and 100% of those who started the study virally suppressed remained virally suppressed during the study.
“This worked well within a patient population that included individuals who had not been virally suppressed,” said Scott. “I think this is going to be important as we move forward with the rollout of injectable treatment, as it shows that in a population that is more of a ‘safety net population,’ that you can have high success with this regimen.”
A final study that Dr. Scott highlighted during the Getting To Zero report-back addressed the question of whether injectable cabotegravir/rilpivirine could be administered in the thigh versus the gluteal (butt) muscle.
“If someone has gluteal implants, or gluteal injections in the gluteal region, then that’s a contraindication to administering medication in those sites,” he explained. Franco Felizarta and colleagues presented data from the ATLAS-2M study, which compared medication levels and patient preferences of thigh versus gluteal injections at CROI.
Levels of medication in the body were similar after thigh and gluteal injections, and about 30% of people preferred thigh injections over gluteal injections. Participants who preferred thigh injections said that the convenience and easy access to this site on the body was preferred. Thigh injection pain was frequently reported, however, after about 40% of all injections administered.
“Injection site reactions are variable. I think that the location in the thigh would make sense anatomically, but it might give you more symptoms,” said Scott.
Kentucky’s Democratic governor issued an election-year veto Friday of a sweeping Republican bill aimed at regulating the lives of transgender youths that includes banning access to gender-affirming health care and restricting the bathrooms they can use.
The bill also bans discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in schools and allows teachers to refuse to refer to transgender students by the pronouns they use. It easily passed the GOP-dominated legislature with veto-proof margins, and lawmakers will reconvene next week for the final two days of this year’s session, when they could vote to override the veto.
Gov. Andy Beshear said in a written veto message that the bill allows “too much government interference in personal healthcare issues and rips away the freedom of parents to make medical decisions for their children.”
In his one-page message, he warned that the bill’s repercussions would include an increase in youth suicides. The governor said, “My faith teaches me that all children are children of God and Senate Bill 150 will endanger the children of Kentucky.”
Beshear told reporters later Friday that transgender children and their parents were among the Kentuckians who contacted his office as he reviewed the legislation.
“I heard from children that believe this bill is picking on them, and asking — in many ways — why?” the governor said. “I told them that I was going to show them that there is at least one person in Frankfort that cares for all of our children in the commonwealth, no matter what.”
Beshear’s veto comes as he seeks re-election to a second term this year in Republican-trending Kentucky, and his veto could reverberate through the November election.
Republicans quickly pounced on the governor’s veto to try to portray him as out of touch with most Kentuckians on the culture wars issue.
“Andy Beshear thinks it’s okay for children to have access to life-altering sex change surgery and drugs before they turn 18,” state Republican Party spokesperson Sean Southard said in a statement. “Today, he revealed how radical he truly is.”
The legislation in Kentucky is part of a national movement, with state lawmakers approving extensive measures that restrict the rights of LGBTQ+ people this year, from bills targeting trans athletes and drag performers to measures limiting gender-affirming care.
In Kentucky, the expanded version that reached Beshear’s desk was rushed through both legislative chambers in a matter of hours on March 16 before lawmakers began an extended break. The fast-track work enabled lawmakers to retain their ability to override the governor’s veto. The action triggered outrage and tears among opponents unable to stop the legislation.
The bill’s supporters say they are trying to protect children from undertaking gender-affirming treatments that they might regret as adults. Research shows such regret is rare.
The repackaged measure would ban gender-affirming care for transgender minors. It would outlaw gender reassignment surgery for anyone under 18, as well as the use of puberty blockers and hormones, and inpatient and outpatient gender-affirming hospital services.
Doctors would have to set a timeline to “detransition” children already taking puberty blockers or undergoing hormone therapy. They could continue offering care as they taper a minor’s treatments, if removing them from the treatment immediately could harm the child.
“The American Medical Association reports that receipt of care dramatically reduces the rates of suicide attempts, decreases feelings of depression and anxiety and reduces substance abuse,” Beshear said in his veto message.
The bill would not allow schools to discuss sexual orientation or gender identity with students of any age.
Another key provision would require school districts to devise bathroom policies that, “at a minimum,” would not allow transgender children to use the bathroom aligned with their gender identities.
It also would allow teachers to refuse to refer to transgender students by the pronouns they use and would require schools to notify parents when lessons related to human sexuality are going to be taught.
Beshear said in his veto message that the bill would turn educators and administrators into “investigators that must listen in on student conversations and then knock on doors to confront and question parents and families about how students behave and/or refer to themselves or others.”
David Walls, executive director of The Family Foundation, condemned the veto, saying the bill seeks to protect children and their parents from “radical, politicized ideologies.” He said the bill would result in “setting policy in alignment with the truth that every child is created as a biological male or female and deserves to be loved, treated with dignity, and accepted for who they really are.”
After the bill passed the legislature, the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky warned that it “stands ready” to challenge the measure in court if it becomes law.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed two bills into law Wednesday that affect transgender minors in the state.
One bill, Senate File 538, prevents doctors from administering gender-affirming care to those under 18. The other, Senate File 482, prevents trans students from entering school bathrooms or changing rooms that correspond with their gender identities.
The new laws are part of a broader effort among conservative lawmakers throughout the country to restrict the rights of LGBTQ Americans, especially transgender people. So far this year, more than 400 such proposals have been filed in state legislatures, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.
Supporters of the new Iowa laws say they are necessary to protect children’s safety while using school restrooms and to prevent minors from making medical decisions they may later regret. Critics and LGBTQ advocates argue that the bills will have “devastating consequences” for trans youths and their families.
“This is not the first time that a government has abused its power at the expense of a small group of people,” Mark Stringer, executive director of the ACLU of Iowa, said in a statement. “But in this case the target is children. That is shameful and cruel.”
Reynolds, a Republican who notably gave this year’s GOP response to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address, did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment. But speaking at a press conference Tuesday, she voiced her support for the bill limiting gender-affirming care, arguing that more long-term research on the treatments is needed.
“We need to just pause; we need to understand what these emerging therapies actually may potentially do to our kids,” Reynolds said. “My heart goes out to them. I’m a parent, I’m a grandmother, I know how difficult this is. This is an extremely uncomfortable position for me to be in. I don’t like it. But I have to do what I believe right now is in the best interest of the kids.”
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds. Charlie Neibergall / AP file
Care that is prohibited for minors under the new Iowa law includes puberty blockers, hormone therapy and transition-related surgeries.
Iowa’s transition-related health care law took effect immediately following the governor’s signature, making it the ninth state — joining Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Mississippi and Florida — to enact such restrictions.
Health care providers in the state who are already administering gender-affirming care to patients will have a 180-day grace period before they have to cease treatment.
The new law restricting transgender people’s bathroom use, which also took effect immediately, applies to multiperson restrooms and locker rooms at public and private elementary and secondary schools. Trans students who want to use single-person restrooms must obtain written consent from their legal guardians before receiving permission to do so.
The restroom law comes nearly seven years after the national controversy surrounding a similar bill in North Carolina. The North Carolina law, House Bill 2, was repealed in 2017 after sparking a massive political and financial fallout and prompting an NCAA boycott of the state.
So-called bathroom bills have seen a resurgence in recent months, according to a group of researchers who are tracking the flow of legislation targeting LGBTQ people. The group found that at least 14 states, including Iowa, weighed the measures so far this year. On Tuesday, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a similar bill into law.
Mike Beranek, president of the Iowa State Education Association, Iowa’s largest union association, denounced the new restroom measure.
“The Iowa Legislature has repeatedly targeted the most vulnerable students with rhetoric and legislation designed to suppress, out, target, ban, and censor Iowa’s LGBTQ+ student communities,” Beranek said in a statement Monday. “Despite these shameful attacks, the ISEA continues to stand with and fight for all our students.”
Iowa’s Senate also passed a bill Wednesday that mirrors Florida’s so-called Don’t Say Gay law and was introduced by Reynolds earlier this year.
Maryland’s newly-elected governor Wes Moore (D) ran on a promise to support legislation that would require state Medicaid plans to cover gender-affirming care. Now it looks like he’ll soon get a chance to make good on that promise.
On Monday, the state’s senate approved the Trans Health Equity Act in a 32–14 vote after the bill passed in the Maryland House of Delegates on Saturday. S.B. 460 now goes to Moore’s desk for a signature.
An anti-trans tweet about gender-affirming surgery led trans men to proudly share their scars.
The new law, introduced by Maryland Del. Anne Kaiser (D) last year, requires the Maryland Medical Assistance Program to “provide medically necessary gender-affirming treatment in a nondiscriminatory manner.” It also requires that “gender-affirming treatment be assessed according to nondiscriminatory criteria that are consistent with current clinical standards.” Among the treatments covered are hormone therapies, puberty blockers, and surgeries, as well as voice training, fertility preservation, and permanent hair removal.
“What is being said nationally about trans people are the same lies that were said about gays and lesbians 20 years ago,” said Kaiser, who became one of Maryland’s first openly gay legislators in 2002. “And that’s part of the reason I feel the passion and the connection to our trans brothers and sisters.”
Del. Kris Fair (D), a co-sponsor of the bill and chair of the Maryland Legislative LGBTQ Caucus, pointed to a 2018 Human Rights Campaign study that found that 60 percent of transgender and non-binary youth will attempt suicide by the age of 18 as a reason to make gender-affirming care more accessible.
“Individuals who are trans and nonbinary are struggling because society continues to put unnecessary layers of adversity in their place,” Fair told Baltimore public radio station WYPR. “Eventually, that adversity can become overwhelming for people. And these are simple solutions that we can take out of the way of trans and non-binary people to allow them to live a more authentic life, and to provide them with a sense of hope and optimism for their experience.”
Transgender advocacy organization Trans Maryland cheered the news in an Instagram post.
“This bill came about after we talked to thousands of trans Marylanders about what we need,” the post read. “And then our community and our allies kept pushing until we WON!”
Almost 23% of trans youth in the United States have lost access to gender-affirming care.
A new report from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) found that of the 300,000 trans youth ages 13 through 17, there are 66,600 living in states that have passed bans on this lifesaving care. And 84,700 more trans youth (28.2%) live in states that are currently considering bans.
The state is the fourth to pass a law prohibiting trans students from using bathrooms that match their gender identity.
According to the Movement Advancement Project, there are currently eight states that fully ban gender-affirming care for minors, along with one state (Arizona) that bans “best practice surgical care” for trans youth.
In the first few months of 2023, alone, gender-affirming care bans have become law in Mississippi, South Dakota, Tennessee, Arkansas, Iowa, and Utah, in addition to five other anti-trans bills.
Over the past few years, Republicans have focused their agenda on attacking equality for transgender youth, with a particularly chilling new Tennessee law requiring youth who have already started gender-affirming care to de-transition. Other states, like Oklahomaand Florida, are considering similar legislation.
These laws go against the best practices of trans-related pediatrics outlined by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, and the American Psychological Association. Numerous studies have shown that a lack of societal acceptance and access to gender-affirming care contribute to high rates of suicide among trans youth. And other studies have found that gender-affirming care actively lowers the risk of depression and suicide in trans youth.
And it’s more than just trans youth being targeted.
Over 400 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have already been filed this year – more than the total number filed in 2022. The American Civil Liberties Union tracks these hateful bills with a map that allows viewers to search by state, issue, or status. It says 14 have become law, 332 have advanced, 64 have been defeated, and 19 have been introduced.
