COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – A Republican-backed proposal that would dramatically impact the daily lives of LGBTQ youth in Ohio is cruel and potentially deadly, parents, health care workers and education experts say. It passed the state Senate on Wednesday despite staunch opposition. threaten.
State senators approved a multifaceted bill by a vote of 24-8 that would ban gender-affirming care for minors and prevent transgender student-athletes from participating in girls’ and women’s sports. . Northeast Ohio’s lone Republican, Sen. Nathan Manning, joined Democrats in voting “no.”
The bill will now return to the Republican-controlled state Legislature for amendments and then head to Republican Gov. Mike DeWine’s desk for final approval. DeWine has not said whether he will sign. He had previously expressed doubts about sports restrictions, saying such decisions were best left to individual sports bodies.
Under the law, minors in Ohio would be prohibited from taking puberty blockers, undergoing other hormone therapy, or undergoing gender reassignment surgery to further align their gender identity.
An amendment added this week changes provisions that force children receiving gender-affirming care to stop treatment or leave the state to receive it. The latest version of the bill would allow any minor in Ohio currently in care to complete that care.
Starting in 2021, more than 20 states have restricted or banned such treatments, even though they have been available in the United States for more than a decade and are approved by major medical associations. A law has been enacted to do so. Most of these states are facing lawsuits, but courts have issued mixed decisions.
The nation’s first law in Arkansas was struck down by a federal judge who said the care ban violated the due process rights of transgender youth and their families. Three other state courts have blocked its enforcement, while seven other states currently allow such laws or are expected to take effect soon.
The proposal would also require public K-12 schools and universities to designate single-sex teams and explicitly ban transgender girls and women from participating in girls’ and women’s sports. The content is as follows.
At least 20 states have passed some version of the ban banning transgender athletes from playing on K-12 and college sports teams across the state. Those bans would be overturned by regulations proposed by President Joe Biden’s administration and expected to be finalized early next year. The rule, announced in April, says a blanket ban violates Title IX, the landmark federal gender equality law of 1972.
The proposal would make it more difficult for schools, for example, to ban transgender girls in elementary school from playing on girls’ basketball teams. However, there is room for schools to create policies prohibiting transgender athletes from playing on more competitive teams if the goal is to ensure fairness or prevent sports-related injuries. will also be left behind.
Advocates say Ohio’s transgender care measure would prevent children from providing “informed consent” for gender-affirming care, potentially forcing them to make choices they later regret. claims to be aimed at protecting the They argue that banning transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s sports will preserve the integrity of those sports and ensure fairness.
Hundreds of opponents testified against the bill, including medical and mental health providers, education experts, religious leaders, parents of transgender children, and transgender people themselves. They charge that the bill is cruel and life-threatening to transgender youth and is based on fear-mongering rather than scientific fact.
Parents also say the bill strips transgender children of their rights and ability to make informed health care decisions for them.
But Senate President Matt Huffman, R-Lima, said Wednesday that passing the law is akin to measures to prevent parents from giving illegal drugs to their children or physically abusing them. Ta.
“Certainly, parents are the most important decision-makers in a child’s life. But there are times when it is important for the state to step in and protect the child,” Huffman said.
But Sen. Paula Hicks Hudson, D-Toledo, argued the measure would only hurt transgender youth.
“We understand that our young people have different types of trials and trauma to deal with. And unfortunately, this Congress is going to add more trauma to that,” Hicks said. Hudson said during a committee hearing early Wednesday.