Stop Idaho Legislatures from Passing Anti-Trans Youth Law
Stop Idaho Legislatures from Passing Anti-Trans Youth Law
Why this petition matters
Idaho's State Committee has passed a bill (HB 675) prohibiting gender-confirmation surgery on young transgender people under the age of 18, even with doctor and parental consent. This bill would prohibit surgery, quote, "if it is for the sole purpose of attempting to change or affirm the child’s perception of the child’s sex if that perception is inconsistent with the child’s biological sex."
Should this bill pass, any person(s) convicted of a violation of the bill could end up spending the rest of their lives in prison.
The American Medical Association, the Idaho Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Pediatric Endocrine Society all oppose this bill. Texas has already proposed this law, and it is clear Idaho wishes to follow in its footsteps. Gov. Brad Little has done little to protect LGBT youth already. Conversion therapy remains legal for minors and transgender girls are prohibited from playing in women's sports.
LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender) youth are already four times as likely to seriously consider suicide than their heterosexual peers. Overall, at least 1.2 million LGBT people between the ages of 13-18 seriously consider suicide every year. This is in the United States alone. (S: Trevor Project)
Medical care for transgender people, especially young people, is suicide prevention. Gender-affirming care is strongly linked to lower rates of depression and suicidal ideation (S: Harvard EDU).
My friends, coming home crying because they think believe their government doesn't care about them, do not deserve this. My peers do not deserve this. The doctors who want to protect their patients do not deserve this. The parents of transgender young people, trying to make their children happy, do not deserve this.
Rep. Bruce Skaug, the one who introduced HB 675, claims, "This bill protects the harm that will be caused to our children if we allow this to go on."
Idaho is only doing more harm by continuing to pass this bill. This bill, if it continues, will only kill more young transgender Idahoans.
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