Anti Trans Bills 5/17/21
Governor Greg Gianforte of Montana signed that state’s ban on transgender athletes in girls’ sports. The Guardian has this story.
In Tennessee, Governor Bill Lee said that he would sign into law a bill which would allow schools to be sued for allowing transgender students to share locker rooms or restrooms that align with their gender identity. This puts schools in an awkward position, as several federal lawsuits have required schools to allow transgender students access to the restroom and locker room that aligns with their gender identity. The Chattanooga Times Free Press has this story.
There is another proposed bathroom bill in Tennessee. That one would require businesses to post a notice if they allow transgender people to share their restroom. This week, even the Log Cabin Republicans came out against that bill. Joshua Herr, the leader of the state chapter of the Log Cabin Republicans, wrote an opinion piece about that legislation for The Tennessean. The page with Herr’s opinion piece also features a video by trans activist Marisa Richmond interviewing Herr.
Tennessee and Alabama both have legislation which would prohibit doctors and other health care officials from prescribing medicine or performing surgery to treat gender dysphoria in minors. AL.com points out that time is running out int legislative session in Alabama, and this legislation is unlikely to be enacted this year.
A parent of a transgender child wrote anonymously in The Gainesville Sun about how a ban on transgender athletes would affect a community that is already vulnerable without this legislation.
Katie Eyer, a professor of law at Rutgers, wrote an article for The Regulatory Review about why the Arkansas ban on medical treatment for transgender youth is unconstitutional.
The new law regarding medical treatment of transgender children in Arkansas is scheduled to take effect on July 1. That leaves families with little time to decide whether to stay or relocate, according to the CBC.
The exodus from Arkansas by families with transgender children has begun, according to an article in The Albuquerque Journal.
The New York Times has a long interview with Chase Strangio about “the Republican anti-transgender machine.”
The Los Angeles Times has a column entitled, “Hurting transgender kids to shore up the Republican base.”
the San Antonio Report has an article entitled, “Transgender bills define ‘child abuse’–and commit it.”
