FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Republican lawmakers in Kentucky passed a measure Thursday to ban gender-affirming treatment for transgender minors, ending a whirlwind vote on a repackaged proposal that sparked anger and tears among opponents who could not stop the policy from being enacted. that sweeps in the culture war. issue.
Supporters of the proposal – which affects how gender is discussed in schools – beat the Thursday deadline to retain their power to reject the governor’s expected veto.
GOP majorities in the House and Senate overwhelmingly passed the bill, a day after a slimmed-down version stalled in the Senate and apparently left the issue in limbo. A cascade of shouts erupted from several opponents of the bill in the Senate gallery after the measure won the final passage.
Opponents of the bill blamed the swift maneuvering and ramifications of the expanded measure for trans youth. Dealing with emotions, Rep. Josie Raymond sobbing said the child will be hurt. “I’m embarrassed and I’m shocked and I’m scared,” the Democrat said in opposing the bill in committee.
Republicans who supported the far-reaching rendition put together a separate bill that quickly cleared committee and won House passage. Soon after, he gained access to the Senate, sending the bill to Democratic Governor Andy Beshear, who described it as government interference in family health decisions.
Republican House Speaker Pro Tempore David Meade, while presenting the revived bill in committee, said: “Our job is to protect children, and that’s what we’re doing here.”
“Surgeries or drugs that can change lives, and change bodies, are not things that should be allowed until adulthood,” Meade said later during a House debate.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky quickly warned it was “ready” to challenge the measure in court if it becomes law.
“Legislators cannot erase transgender people from existence, and we will continue to fight for equal rights and equal protection under the law,” said Amber Duke, the organization’s interim executive director.
A new bill set to implement sweeping trans-related provisions retains its original language — allowing teachers to refuse to refer to transgender students by preferred pronouns and requiring schools to notify parents when lessons related to human sexuality will be taught.
Several layers are added – including a proposed ban on gender-affirming medical treatment for trans youth. It would ban gender reassignment surgery for anyone under the age of 18, as well as the use of puberty blockers and hormones, and inpatient and outpatient hospital services. It will not allow schools to discuss sexual orientation or gender identity with students of any age.
The House passed the bill on a 75-22 vote. For one thing, opponents are standing up to argue against the bill while supporters are mostly silent. Democratic Rep. Keturah Herron called the bill an “attack on a very small population.”
The debate was shorter but no less fiery in the Senate, which passed the bill 30-7.
“This is hateful, deliberate, deliberate. Hate for a small group of people who are the weakest and most vulnerable among us,” said Democratic Senator Karen Berg.
Supporters of the bill say it’s an attempt to protect children from undergoing gender-affirming treatment they’ll regret as adults.
“We’re talking about removing a healthy body part that can’t be put back in,” Republican Sen. Lindsey Tichenor said in support of the bill. “I’ve seen the pictures. It’s horrible.”
Thursday is the last day Kentucky lawmakers are in session until the end of March, when they will reconvene for the final two days of this year’s session. By beating the Thursday deadline to send the bill to the governor, the GOP supermajority retained its ability to override a veto.
Beshear, who is seeking re-election this year, said the bill is “big government coming in and imposing its will” on health care decisions that should be left up to families.
“I also believe that every child is a child of God – every single one,” the governor said Thursday at his weekly press conference.
The expanded version is in stark contrast to the more limited version that stalled Wednesday in the Senate. That version eases restrictions on transgender youth, their families and health care providers.
The issue sparked an emotional debate from opponents of the bill who called it discriminatory and said it would harm transgender youth. On Tuesday, a former Kentucky lawmaker said her young grandchildren would be among those affected if lawmakers banned access to gender-affirming medical care for 18-year-olds.
“This bill condemns vulnerable children to a more difficult life than they were born into,” Jerry Miller, a Republican who once served in the House, told lawmakers. “Please, don’t let the right of parents to protect their children become collateral damage in the culture war.”
Nationally, state lawmakers approved a wide range of measures restricting the rights of LGBTQ people this year, from bills targeting trans athletes and drag performers to those restricting gender-affirming treatment. In Mississippi, Republican governor Tate Reeves recently signed a bill to ban hormones or gender-affirming surgery in the state for anyone younger than 18. Republican governors of South Dakota and Utah have signed bans on gender-affirming treatments this year.