The Mississippi Senate, controlled by Republicans, approved a bill that would prohibit gender-affirming care in the state for individuals under the age of 18. The move is part of a broader effort in conservative states to limit transgender athletes, gender-affirming care, and drag shows. House Bill 1125 now awaits the signature of Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves, who is a Republican seeking re-election and has indicated his willingness to sign it into law. In 2021, Reeves signed a bill banning transgender athletes from competing in girls’ or women’s sports.
The Republican Governor of Utah recently signed a gender-affirming care ban into law, while judges temporarily blocked similar legislation in Arkansas and Alabama. On Tuesday, the Arkansas state Senate passed legislation to effectively restore the state’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors by making it easier to sue medical providers offering such care.
Last week, transgender teenagers, their families, and their supporters protested against the Mississippi bill. Jensen Luke Matar, the executive director of the Mississippi-based Transgender Resources Advocacy Network and Services Program, denounced the legislation, stating that “Mississippi lawmakers are insisting that they know what’s best for transgender youth and ignoring the recommendations of every major medical association.” Matar added, “I know from years of working directly with trans youth in Mississippi that they need support, love, and affirmation – not this brazen political attack that cuts off their access to life-saving care.”
During the Senate debate, Republican Senator Joey Fillingane of Sumrall noted that he had received questions “about how we’re telling people what they can and can’t do with their bodies.” He added that the bill would not prohibit mental health care for transgender youth, while an amendment by Democratic Senator Rod Hickman of Macon, which proposed that mental health care remain available for individuals under the age of 18, was rejected.
The Mississippi Senate passed House Bill 1125 by a vote of 33-15. The Republican-controlled Mississippi House approved it on January 19, with a vote of 78-30. The ACLU of Mississippi has asked Governor Reeves to veto the measure. The group’s LGBTQ Justice Project staff attorney, McKenna Raney-Gray, stated that “this law shuts the door on best-practice medical care and puts politics between parents, their children, and their doctors.”