GOP legislatures nationwide tighten regulations on gender transition healthcare.

A Wave of Legislation Affecting LGBT People Sweeps Across the Country

In 2023, a record number of bills have been advancing across the country, specifically targeting transgender youth. These bills cover a range of topics including sports participation, bathroom bans, and hormone treatments and surgeries.

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Here is an overview of the latest measures related to LGBT issues from states with a high volume of bills, including red-state legislation like Florida’s ban on K-8 classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Florida

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) signed the Let Kids Be Kids package of legislation into law in May. This package includes measures such as prohibiting sex reassignment surgeries and puberty blockers, requiring bathroom use based on sex assigned at birth, and imposing restrictions on sport participation in school programs.

House Bill 1069, passed by the Republican legislature, aims to prevent staff and employees from asking students to provide certain titles and pronouns. It also seeks to expand parental rights by prohibiting classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in pre-K through 8th grade.

“Florida is proud to lead the way in standing up for our children,” DeSantis said in a press release. “As the world goes mad, Florida represents a refuge of sanity and a citadel of normalcy.”

Missouri

Missouri recently joined the list of states barring transgender minors from receiving gender transition surgery or treatments, with exceptions for those already on hormones or puberty blockers.

Senate Bill 49, signed by Governor Mike Parson (R-MO) in June, includes limitations for certain adults seeking treatment and prevents Missouri’s Medicaid program from covering such treatment. Additionally, Senate Bill 39 was signed into law, banning transgender students from participating in school sports designated for the opposite biological sex as stated on their birth certificate.

The governor tweeted that these bills are an effort to protect the integrity of female sports and Missouri children from potentially harmful experimental surgeries and treatment.

Texas

Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R-TX) has signed several bills into law this year regarding transgender people’s access to transition treatment and school sports teams.

The “Save Women’s Sports Act” (Senate Bill 15) prohibits biological males from competing in college-level athletic competitions where biological females participate.

“Today is an important day for female athletes across the state of Texas, including little girls who aspire to one day compete in college sports,” Abbott said in a statement. “The Save Women’s Sports Act protects young women at Texas colleges and universities by prohibiting men from competing against them in college sports.”

Texas also became the largest state to ban transition procedures and treatments for minors in June. Under Senate Bill 14, doctors are prohibited from performing mastectomies or surgeries that would sterilize minors, and providers cannot prescribe drugs that would induce temporary or permanent infertility.

North Carolina

North Carolina has intensified its efforts to ban hormone therapy, puberty blockers, and surgeries. A bill passed in both legislative chambers last month, prohibiting anyone under 18 from receiving these treatments. All Republican members voted in favor of House Bill 808, sponsored by GOP state Rep. Hugh Blackwell, which is now awaiting Governor Roy Cooper’s (D-NC) decision.

Another bill, the Parents’ Bill of Rights, has also passed in both chambers. It requires educators to notify parents if a student uses a different name or pronoun that differs from their gender identity at birth. Blackwell was the only Republican to vote against this legislation.

With Republicans holding veto-proof majorities in both chambers of the General Assembly, Governor Cooper’s veto capabilities are threatened as the veto would likely be overridden.

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