It’s an election year, which means it’s time for naked political ploys to woo voters. Republicans in Idaho and Texas have plumbed new depths to pander to conservative voters by trying to stop medical treatment that helps transitioning transgender minors even if parents, doctors and therapists concur with the need for those treatments.
A bill that overwhelmingly passed in the Idaho House last week is the most extreme example of similar pieces of legislation in other states. It would make it a felony for parents to consent or medical professionals to provide what’s called gender-affirming care to transgender minors. It would be illegal for parents to take their children out of state with the intention of obtaining this treatment.
It’s despicable that politicians would threaten medical care that has been vetted and peer-reviewed by mainstream medical organizations, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, and pretend they are acting to protect the health of young people. They ignore current medical and psychological thinking and are making families and transgender teens feel singled out for hatred. These measures might well be struck down in court, but in the meantime, they make it hard for transgender youth to receive or continue receiving the medical care they need. According to a 2017 report by the Williams Institute at UCLA, less than 1% of teenagers identify as transgender and many of those don’t get medical treatment related to their sexual identity.
