Five New England states — Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont — have introduced bills “shielding transgender youth and their parents from penalties for seeking gender-affirming health care.” In doing so, they join 14 other states across the US. (Massachusetts has strong legal laws protecting gender ID and expression; it is unclear at this time if they’ll also introduce a “trans refuge state” bill.)
“We’re sick of just playing defense against what these red states are doing,” California state Sen. Scott Wiener told the Associated Press, as reported by the Advocate. “We’re going on offense, we’re going to protect LGBQT kids and their families, and we’re going to build a rainbow wall to protect our community.”
Reports the Advocate:
The bills will differ from state to state, but one introduced by Wiener provides a model regarding protections for families who take refuge. It “would reject any out-of-state court judgments removing children from their parents’ custody because they allowed gender-affirming health care” and “would make arrest warrants based on alleged violation of another state’s law against receiving such care the lowest priority for California law enforcement,” the AP reports.
Minors’ ability to receive gender-affirming care is under attack in several states. Alabama recently passed a law making it a felony to provide this care to people under 18, with punishment of up to 10 years in prison for violation. In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered that parents who allow their children to access such care be investigated for child abuse; that order is temporarily blocked by a court while a lawsuit against it is heard.
“When trans kids’ lives are on the line, playing defense doesn’t cut it,” Victory Institute President and CEO Annise Parker said in a press release. “It’s time to play offense. We are using the collective power of LGBTQ state legislators all across the nation to launch a counteroffensive that aims to protect trans kids and parents while also demonstrating that there is a positive agenda for trans people that lawmakers can support. While LGBTQ elected officials will fight tooth and nail to get these passed in every state, now we need allies to step up to help us get it done. And even in states that have little chance of these bills advancing, the message it sends is still incredibly important: Trans kids need to know they have leaders standing up and fighting for them.”
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