Anti-trans bills have passed in two of America’s largest Red states which could have a devastating impact on younger people seeking gender-affirming care.
Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) is expected to sign a ban that the Texas state legislature passed on Wednesday, which removes gender-affirming care for kids under 18, including hormone treatments and gender-affirming surgeries.
Ron “Don’t Say Gay (Or I’ll Scare You With My Weird Evil Laugh)” DeSantis, the Slytherin mascot of Florida, signed a similar bill as well on Wednesday.
But he imposes felony penalties on any providers who administer gender-affirming care to kids under 18.
And then he reportedly told donors on a phone call that he’s ready to run for President, which means Gov. DeathSantis will be taking his anti-trans “From Gitmo to Gilead” act on the road very soon.
I don’t really know where this idea of “The Drag Queens is coming to turn your kids trans” came from, but it’s really awful to target families dealing with the delicacies of a transitioning teen.
They won’t ban guns to save kids, but they’ll ban hormones which might help even more kids stay alive.
No one can make it make sense.
Despite children under 18 rarely undergoing the transitions which terrify the Trumpers, the GOP is leading a fear campaign full of deliberate disinformation.
Another part of the transphobic hate bill requires teens already receiving hormone treatments to continue but slowly “wean” themselves off the hormones.
Statistics show a sharp increase in suicides among trans teens when they’re unable to receive supportive care to aid their transition or must cease their gender-affirming care.
Trans allies and advocates will be challenging the new laws on an emergency basis in court, arguing that the states are violating parents’ fundamental rights to make medical decisions for their children.
They also say the new bills violate the Constitution by discriminating against transgender children.
But they have a long road of future challenges ahead of them.
Florida alone has already passed more anti-LGBTQ+ legislation this session than it did in the seven years prior, Vox reported on Thursday.
Texas is on track to pass more than double the number of similarly anti-LGBTQ+ laws than it did over that same period, Cathryn Oakley, state legislative director and senior counsel at the Human Rights Campaign, told Vox.
No one backing these bills has ever been able to justify why they think they have any jurisdiction over another human’s body, but 2023.
Similar to how they treat all communities they see as Other, the anti-trans Republican Party has unilaterally and inexplicably declared war on the transgender community in an effort to scapegoat them amid Donald Trump’s myriad legal scandals.
Trans activists and allies flocked to social media to voice their anger at the anti-human bills.
Yesterday, FL Gov and potential 2024 candidate Ron DeSantis signed a series of anti LGBTQ bills: a trans bathroom bill, attacking drag queens, legislating pronouns, banning affirming care for minors and limiting it for adults. Trans voices were largely absent from the coverage.🧵
— Ari Drennen (@AriDrennen) May 18, 2023
It is surreal to be trans in America right now exercising in the gym and looking up at an anti-trans rant on Fox News literally just over a trans person in a swimsuit with a bunch of cis people to my right and left, wondering who consumes this content here, who will hate me? pic.twitter.com/SASxrzLi8Q
— Erin Reed (@ErinInTheMorn) May 18, 2023
NE State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan (R) complains filibusters of anti-trans bills made her miss her grandson's preschool graduation.
Sen. Megan Hunt (I): “You won't come off this bill that hurts my [trans] son. You hate him more than you love your own family. That's why you're here." pic.twitter.com/lqMybhuNaa
— Heartland Signal (@HeartlandSignal) May 18, 2023
Looks like @elonmusk is all in on the anti-trans hate. Note that he's not just endorsing the Texas bill, but also the vile language used to describe it: pic.twitter.com/hwXXQHw8Ei
— Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) May 18, 2023
*THIS IS AN OPINION COLUMN THAT SOLELY REPRESENTS THE OPINIONS OF TARA DUBLIN. HOORAY FOR THE FREE PRESS!*
Other hot takes by Tara Dublin can be found on TikTok and Twitter @taradublinrocks.