Rooted in a larger culture war salary by the right on racial justice and the transgender community, Idaho, Indiana and Kansas have joined other Republican-led states in passing laws barring transgender youth from receiving gender-affirming health care and participating in sports.
On Wednesday, the Kansas Legislature passed a law banning transgender youth from playing on women’s and girls’ sports teams after Gov. vetoed that was last month.
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb (R) signed Wednesday SB 480, prohibiting doctors and medical practitioners from “knowingly providing gender transition procedures to persons under the age of 18” or “aiding or abetting” others. He signed the bill despite calling it “vague” and “clear as mud” the day before.
“It’s not part of my agenda,” Holcomb said Tuesday, according to the Associated Press. “I’ve told a few people close to me: This is as clear as mud. There’s some ambiguity. So I want to make sure I understand everything.”
The new law will go into effect in Indiana on July 1. After that, young people currently taking gender transition drugs have until December 31 to stop.
In a statement to HuffPost, Holcomb defended the signing of the bill, saying: “There is and will continue to be a debate in the medical community about the best way to provide physical and mental health care for adolescents who struggle with their own gender identity, and it is important that we recognize and understand that the struggle is real. With all of this, I decided to sign SB 480 into law.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) criticized the Indiana bill, calling it a violation of the civil rights of transgender youth.
“SB 480 is part of a coordinated campaign to push transgender people, especially youth, out of public life. Bills like this violate the rights of parents and families to make decisions about their children’s health,” the ACLU said of the bill. site.
Idaho signed its own anti-trans bill on Tuesday, with Idaho Gov. Brad Little (R) signing it into law H71also known as the “Vulnerable Children Protection Act.”
H71 would prevent transgender people aged 18 and under from receiving gender-affirming drugs or health care, including puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and gender-affirming surgery – with anyone breaking the law facing prosecution and up to 10 years. years behind bars. bill will take effect on January 1, 2024.
“In signing this bill, I know our society plays a role in protecting small children from surgery or treatments that can irreversibly damage their health,” Little said in a letter sent to the Idaho House speaker. “However, as policymakers, we must be careful when we consider allowing government to interfere with loving parents and their decisions about what is best for their children.”
Little’s office did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.
Chelsea Gaona-Lincoln, executive director of Add the Words, a mutual aid organization in Idaho, said in statement Tuesday, the alleged Little who supports the decision of parents for their children does not match with the people entering H71.
“We are saddened for the families of Idaho today. We are watching the rights of parents dismantled in the name of stigmatizing and harming the most vulnerable youth,” said Chelsea Gaona-Lincoln, executive director of Add the Words, a mutual aid organization in Idaho. statement Tuesday.
“The desperation that Idaho families feel is profound because we’ve been making frantic calls since HB71 was introduced and then passed both chambers,” he continued. “The fear in the voices of parents is palpable because they don’t know what to tell their young children or how to give them hope when their elected representatives are actively trying to legislate it away.”
North Dakota also pushed 10 bills containing anti-trans legislation forward on Tuesday.