The Republican-led committee in Kentucky recently approved a bill banning access to gender-affirming medical care for minors, despite emotional pleas from advocates of LGBTQ rights. The bill would designate gender-transition care for those under 18 as unethical and unprofessional conduct by health care providers. Their licenses to practice would be revoked for providing such treatment if the measure becomes law. The measure would also forbid Kentucky schools from discussing gender identity, gender expression, or sexual orientation, and allow teachers to refuse to refer to transgender students by their preferred pronouns.
Former Republican lawmaker Jerry Miller spoke out against the Kentucky measure, House Bill 470, because he said it would affect his 7-year-old grandchild. Miller argued that the bill would condemn vulnerable children to an even more difficult life than they have already been born into, and that parents’ rights to protect their children should not be collateral damage in the culture wars. Despite Miller’s emotional pleas, the bill was approved by the committee, and it will now be sent to the full Senate.
Nationally, state lawmakers are approving extensive measures against LGBTQ individuals this year, from bills targeting trans athletes and drag performers to ones limiting gender-affirming care. Republican governors of Mississippi, South Dakota, and Utah have all signed bans on gender-affirming care this year. Supporters of the Kentucky bill argue that the intent is to protect children from medical decisions that would be irreversible. However, opponents say that banning gender-affirming care for minors is harmful and can increase the risk of suicide and depression among transgender youth.
The passage of the Kentucky bill is a setback for LGBTQ rights advocates, who argue that denying transgender youth access to gender-affirming medical care is a violation of their human rights. The fight for gender equality and transgender rights continues, even in the face of mounting opposition from lawmakers across the country.