Idaho House Bill No. 675 makes providing gender-affirming medical care to trans youth a felony. This includes not only gender-affirming surgeries, but also the utilization of puberty blockers and hormone treatments. Additionally, parents who take their child out-of-state to seek gender-affirming care can be charged with a felony. Our trans youth are already an extremely vulnerable population, and this bill will increase rates of anxiety, depression, suicide, dysphoria, and other physical and mental health issues these children face.

“Amid a wave of dangerous bills targeting transgender youth, this bill is among the most dangerous — forcing doctors to choose between providing best-practice care to their patients and facing felony charges,” said Sam Ames, director of advocacy and government affairs at The Trevor Project. “This bill is at odds with the professional guidance of every major medical and mental health association in the country. Our research shows that access to gender-affirming care is strongly associated with lower risk of depression and suicide among trans and nonbinary youth who seek it. We urge Idaho lawmakers to support this group of already marginalized young people by increasing access to care that can save lives — not throwing doctors in prison for providing it.”