U.S. lawmakers in 16 states to introduce laws to protect transgender youth
By Maria Caspani
(Reuters) – Democratic lawmakers from 16 states on Tuesday pledged to introduce laws offering authorized refuge to transgender youth and their households displaced by restrictive legal guidelines of their states.
These states will be a part of legislative efforts already underneath approach in California, New York and Minnesota to supply a coordinated response to a latest wave of legal guidelines and measures banning gender-affirming take care of transgender youth in a number of conservative states together with Texas and Alabama.
“This assault on the very existence of our group is one thing that we are going to not settle for and we’ll struggle and push again very, very exhausting,” mentioned California state Senator Scott Wiener as he introduced the coalition at an occasion with the LGBTQ Victory Institute and different civil rights teams.
Wiener is the sponsor of a California invoice launched in March that’s serving as a template for different states. It could, amongst different issues, reject any out-of-state courtroom judgment eradicating transgender youngsters from their mother and father in circumstances the place mother and father enable their youngsters to obtain gender-affirming care towards native measures.
It could additionally bar compliance with any out-of-state subpoenas looking for to acquire well being or different associated info on people who come to California to obtain such care, Wiener has mentioned.
The rollout of refuge laws must wait in lots of the 16 states the place legislative classes have already wrapped up, and may face opposition in some legislatures.
Annise Parker, the president and CEO of the LGBTQ Victory Institute, mentioned it was nonetheless essential for leaders to ship “a really clear message” to trans youth and their households.
“We see you, we hear you, we help you and we’ll do the whole lot in our energy to make you protected,” Parker mentioned.
(Reporting by Maria Caspani in New York; Enhancing by Matthew Lewis)
