Anti Trans Laws News 5/24/21
Governor Kim Reynolds asked the Iowa legislature to send her a bill on transgender athletes, saying that she would sign it. This week, the legislature adjourned for the year, without passing such legislation. The Des Moines Register has this story.
Governor Bill Lee of Tennessee signed a ban on medical treatment of gender dysphoria in minors. The AP reports that Tennessee joins Arkansas as the only two states to enact such a ban. Governor Lee also signed a second anti-transgender bathroom bill into law.
In Texas, the state Senate passed its bill banning medical treatment of gender dysphoria in minors by an 18-13 vote. That bill now goes to the state House, which no longer has Joe Strauss as Speaker, making it easier for the bill to get through. The Texas Tribune has this story.
Last month, Governor Laura Kelly of Kansas vetoed a bill that would have banned transgender females from participating in girls’ sports. The legislature did not have the votes to override her veto. However the bill’s sponsors were not willing to admit defeat, and instead have attached an amendment to another bill, which again would forbid transgender women from participating in girls’ sports. This story comes from them.
The Louisiana legislature wants to ban transgender athletes, and thinks that they can not only pass it but override the veto promised by the governor. The Louisiana High School Athletic Association reports that there was only one transgender athlete–a transgender male who tried to join the cross-country team. The Athletic Association told him he could run on the girls’ cross-country team, but not with the boys. His story can be found in The Louisiana Illustrator.
An editorial against the transgender athletes bill appears in Big Easy magazine.
An editorial in The Advocate argues that anti-transgender bills get in the way of good parenting, while whipping up a furor among the political base.
