Wednesday, 06.28.23
alestlelive.com
PAGE 2
Pritzker signs new bill into law, allows police drones to be used DRONES | COVER
kind of technology can be used in fairly invasive ways that intrude on our constitutional and privacy rights,” ACLU attorney Liza Roberson-Young said. These concerns led to some key protections in the bill, including limitations on what circumstances warrant the use of drones and how long the information collected by drones can be stored. “We wouldn’t want this to be a first step to a slippery slope to chipping away at the Freedom from Drone Surveillance Act,” Roberson-Young said. Under the new law, drones may only be used at outdoor, government-hosted events. These include events such as parades, walks, races, concerts or food festivals. These events must meet minimum size requirements depending on the size of the municipality in which they are hosted in order for police to use drones. The law explicitly bars drones from being used to monitor “any political protest, march, demon-
stration, or other assembly protected by the First Amendment.” The law also allows police to use drones when responding to 911 calls to find victims, to assist with health or safety needs or to coordinate emergency personnel. The information drones collect, which could include video, images, sounds or other data, may only be stored temporarily and must be deleted within 24 hours after a parade or other special event, and within 30 days for most other uses. There are some exceptions where police may retain that information, such as if there is reasonable suspicion that the information contains evidence of criminal activity, if the information is relevant to an ongoing investigation or if it will be used for future training. The Illinois Attorney General’s office can investigate police departments’ patterns and practices of drone use and compel their compliance by seeking a court order. Departments can lose drone authority for at least six months the first time they are found to violate
the law and up to one year for subsequent violations. In an interview, Hernandez encouraged people to reach out to the attorney general if they find police violating the new regulations. “I hope people get to see that there are clear instructions in the law to prevent people from violating privacy,” Hernandez said. The law also explicitly bans police from equipping drones with weapons, such as firearms, chemical irritants or lasers. The law also places significant restrictions on the use of facial recognition technology in conjunction with drones, barring police from using it during a flight and only allowing it to counter a high risk of a terrorist incident based on U.S. Department of Homeland Security intelligence or to prevent “imminent harm to life or to forestall the imminent escape of a suspect of the destruction of evidence.” But some in the digital rights world say that the law still leaves the door open for police
to use other surveillance technologies that encroach on people’s civil liberties. Beryl Lipton is a law enforcement technology and surveillance researcher at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital rights advocacy group. EFF was not engaged in the process of drafting HB 3902. “It’s good that they have protections on facial recognition technology, but there are other biometric technologies that could be used,” Lipton said. Although Lipton said that her organization has concerns any time police use drones, she added that there are good reasons for drones to be used in some circumstances. Ultimately, however, Lipton said that local governments should be involved in determining appropriate use of police technologies for their communities. “There should be a municipal, local conversation about surveillance,” Lipton said. The law went into effect immediately after Pritzker’s signature Friday.
06.15.23 An officer responded to a report of a child crying in Cougar Village. Arriving at the apartment, the parent said that their children were at school. 06.15.23 An officer took a report of someone finding an offensive message written in a men’s bathroom in the MUC. The message and incident were later reported to SIUE’s B.I.A.S. group after being removed. 06.22.23 An officer took a report of a car being broken into and having credit and debit cards be taken, which were later used to make purchases. The investigation is ongoing.
More blue states declare themselves sanctuaries for transgender healthcare AMANDA HERNANDEZ Stateline.org
Democratic governors and state lawmakers across the country are mobilizing against a surge of Republican restrictions on transgender health care by establishing their states as sanctuaries for gender-affirming care. Earlier this month, Democratic Gov. Wes Moore signed an executive order making Maryland the 11th state, plus the District of Columbia, to declare itself a sanctuary. A bill in New York has cleared the legislature and is awaiting the signature of Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul. Last year, California became the first state to declare itself a sanctuary. It has since been joined by Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Vermont and Washington. A growing number of cities, including New York City; Kansas City, Missouri; and West Hollywood, California, also have become sanctuaries. These states and cities are emerging as havens with legal protections to shield health care providers, transgender people and their supporters from lawsuits and criminal penalties levied by other states. Maryland’s executive order prohibits the use of state resources, such as incarceration facilities, to comply with subpoenas against transgender people and their health care providers. It mandates that all state agencies “take whatever action is necessary” to protect those involved in providing, receiving or assisting in travel for genderaffirming care. The order also ensures that transgender people will not be extradited from Maryland for seeking gender-affirming care, and doctors will not lose their licenses for providing such care. Similar measures have been implemented by other sanctuary states. New York Democratic Assemblymember Harry Bronson,
who led the effort to pass the ing care and allowing minors sanctuary bill in the lower house, who were diagnosed or receivhighlighted his state’s commit- ing treatment prior to the law’s ment to embracing and protect- passage to continue or wean ing transgender people. off medication. “That’s what New York Many of the laws explicitly state is saying by this piece of bar gender-affirming treatments legislation, that we love you for such as hormone therapy and who you are, and we’re going to surgeries for transgender minors. support you Proponents for who you argue that are,” Bronthey proson said in tect chilan interview dren from with Statem a k i n g Trans people who can line. “We’re potent ia lgoing to ly irreversafford to do so and make sure ible medical that whatever decisions, have the flexibility to legal means while predo so are often picking s e r v i n g we have, we’re goparental up and leaving.” ing to make authority. sure that “ T he r e Olivia Hunt, Policy Director for National you’re prois no doubt Center for Transgender Equality tected from that these those who procedu res will hate.” are ‘abuse’ Republican-led efforts to under Texas law, and thus must curtail or criminalize providing be halted,” Texas Attorney Genor receiving gender-affirming eral Ken Paxton said in a Febmedical treatment have gained ruary statement. “The Texas momentum in recent years, fu- Department of Family and Proeled by concerns over parental tective Services (DFPS) has a rights, religious beliefs and the responsibility to act accordingly. ongoing debate surrounding I’ll do everything I can to protect gender identity. against those who take advanAt least 20 states have re- tage of and harm young Texans.” stricted or banned gender-af- (Paxton has since been susfirming care for minors, accord- pended from office and faces an ing to data from the Movement impeachment trial.) Advancement Project, a nonprofOlivia Hunt, the policy diit think tank that advocates for rector for the advocacy group LGBTQ+ rights. National Center for TransgenAt least five states — Al- der Equality, said proponents of abama, Florida, Idaho, North transgender health care bans ofDakota and Oklahoma — have ten misrepresent transition-relatmade it a felony to provide gen- ed health care as new or experider-affirming care to minors. mental to garner support. In other states, laws range from “The science reliably shows banning the use of public funds that the proponents of anti-trans or state property to provide policies are simply wrong,” care or promote social transi- Hunt said in an interview tioning, to prohibiting out-of- with Stateline. state providers from delivering Gender-affirming care entelehealth care. compasses both medical and Some states, including Ar- non-medical services, such as izona, Georgia and Texas, ap- social affirmation, puberty blockproved bans with exceptions, ers, hormone therapy and surgisuch as allowing medication cal procedures, according to the or nonsurgical gender-affirm- U.S. Department of Health and
“
Human Services. Social affirmation involves adopting or using a name, hairstyles, clothing, pronouns and restrooms or other facilities that correspond to one’s gender identity, according to the department. Surgeries are typically reserved for adults, although they may be considered for adolescents on a case-by-case basis, the department said. Leading medical associations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, endorse gender-affirming care as safe and effective. The American Medical Association considers it medically necessary, highlighting the importance of these interventions in supporting the well-being of transgender individuals. However, some European nations, including Norway, Finland, Sweden and the United Kingdom, recently have introduced restrictions on gender-affirming care for minors. Research conducted by public health authorities in England, Finland and Sweden has not shown “meaningful improvements in youth’s mental health” as a result of gender-affirming care, according to an article published in the journal Current Sexual Health Reports in April. The article also suggested that puberty blockers may hinder bone development. Attitudes toward transgender people and issues in the United States are divided, according to polling data from the Pew Research Center. Although the survey found that 64 percent of adults support transgender nondiscrimination laws, 60 percent also hold the belief that a person’s gender is determined by the sex assigned at birth, and 46 percent support legislation that would prohibit gender-affirming health care for minors. At least 130 bills restricting gender-affirming health care have been introduced in state legislatures across the country this session — a roughly threefold increase from 43 bills last year,
according to American Civil Liberties Union data. The consequences of transgender health care bans are profound, Hunt said. These restrictions may exacerbate gender dysphoria — a disconnect between a person’s gender identity and their assigned sex at birth — leading to heightened rates of depression, anxiety and selfharm, according to research cited by the Association of American Medical Colleges Center for Health Justice. “Having your civil rights up as a matter of public debate is one of the most stressful things that you can do to anybody who’s part of a marginalized population,” Hunt added. In addition to simply declaring themselves sanctuaries, Hunt said, states that want to support the health care needs of transgender people should pay attention to insurance coverage and affordability. “When politicians are considering these sanctuary refuge laws, they also need to look at what they’re doing to ensure broader equity for people who are trying to rely on them to actually access care, access social services and be able to lead fulfilled lives as part of the communities they’re moving into,” she said. Transgender health care bans have led a growing number of transgender people to seek refuge elsewhere. “Trans people who can afford to do so and have the flexibility to do so are often picking up and leaving,” Hunt said. “That’s creating people who are refugees within our own country. That’s something that every lawmaker that’s voting in favor of these bills — those that are attacking their own constituents — should be deeply ashamed of.” Recent polling data gathered by Data for Progress, a progressive think tank and polling firm, showed that at least 43 percent of transgender adults have considered relocating and another 8 percent have already relocated due to anti-LGBTQ+ legislation.