LG BTQ + L E G I S L AT I V E L E A P S
ISSUES&POLITICS
THE
HEROES
ISSUE
2020
Transgender Youth Medical Care Bans
EMBRACEMAGAZINE.US
64
A close look at the so-called Vulnerable Children Protection Act, HB-1365/SB1864, otherwise more appropriately known as the Transgender Youth Medical Care Bans, and what this bill means to the mental and emotional welfare of genderdysphoric youth who wish to receive gender-affirming medical care, made illegal by the bill. STORY BY KRISIE BELL BSN, RN
It
takes enormous courage to live unapologetically true to oneself. Likewise, the decision to transition to a gender other than the one assigned at birth is not one that is taken lightly by either the parents or the child. According to Stacy B., the mother of a transgender 17-year-old male, parenting a transgender child is a “long and complicated journey – and certainly not one that any parent would choose to hurdle. Ultimately, it is a commitment of love, respect, and acceptance for my child.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducted the Youth Risk Behavioral Survey in 2017, which revealed that approximately 1.8% of youth identify as transgender. Alarmingly, the survey also recognized that transgender youth have a profoundly higher risk of depression, suicide attempts (>40%), and sexual victimization when compared to their cisgender peers. Although this survey was conducted in only ten
states and nine large urban school districts across the U.S., it clearly supports a public health interest that should be further explored. HB-1365/SB-1864 was filed in January 2020 by the Bill’s sponsors, Senator Dennis Baxley (Republican, 12th District) and House Representative Anthony Sabatini (Republican, 32nd District). Succinctly, this bill cites that any medical services provided by a licensed healthcare professional “for the purpose of affirming the minor’s perception of the minor’s sex, if that perception is inconsistent with the minor’s sex, commits a felony of the second degree.” Additionally, a felony conviction would result in a loss of their medical license for providing medical services that aid a transgender teen (under the age of 18) in gender affirmation care. Sadly,
The palm of the hand of a young caucasian person with a transgender flag painted in it.
