In another significant blow to LGBTQ+ rights, Arizona has passed two anti-trans bills that negatively impact medical care for trans youth.
On 24 March, the state’s Republican-led House passed Senate Bill 1138 by a vote of 31-26.
Under the proposed legislation, gender-affirming care for trans youth would be heavily restricted.
According to a report from CNN, anyone under the age of 18 would be banned from undergoing “irreversible gender reassignment surgery.”
However, intersex individuals would be exempt from the archaic law.
SB 1138 was first introduced back in February when it passed the conservative-controlled Senate by 16-12 vote.
In addition to the aforementioned bill, the House also passed another harmful legislation that targets trans athletes.
Under Senate Bill 1165, also known as ‘Save Women’s Sports Act’, trans girls are prohibited from competing on sports teams that align with their gender identity.
The bills are now headed to Governor Doug Ducey’s desk.
Since SB 1138 and SB 1165 passed, LGBTQ+ activists and organisations have condemned Arizona lawmakers – with many urging Ducey to veto the horrific bills.
In a statement, Human Rights Campaign Arizona State Director Bridget Sharpe described the voting results as “disappointing.”
“It is simply not the job of legislators to make healthcare decisions for the families who this legislation will directly impact,” she said.
“We have been coordinating closely with medical professionals, athletic administrators, and most importantly, the children and their families who will be directly impacted by this legislation and all are confused, hurt, and scared…
The Arizona House just passed two anti-trans bills — one limiting access to gender-affirming medical care and another banning trans girls from playing sports.
Gov. Ducey must veto this legislation and #ProtectTransKids. https://t.co/1HvOBWcDVr
— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) March 24, 2022
“We strongly urge Gov. Ducey to follow the leadership of Republican Gov. Cox in Utah and Gov. Holcomb in Indiana and veto these discrimination bills.”
Darrell Hill, ACLU of Arizona policy director, shared similar sentiments to Sharpe in a written statement.
“Arizona has unfortunatly joined the long list of states that have made bullying and discriminating against trans students a priority this legislative session,” he wrote. “These unabated attacks on trans kids attempt to solve problems that do not exist and single out people simply for being transgender.”
Arizona now joins an array of states who have either proposed or enacted legislation attacking gender-affirming care.
Last year, Arkansas became the first state to ban life-saving treatments for trans youth – even after an initial veto from Governor Asa Hutchinson.
Tennessee also passed a bill that targeted trans adolescents by banning the prescription of hormone therapy and puberty blockers.
However, recently Idaho’s Republican-led Senate blocked a similar bill that would have made giving trans children gender-affirming care a crime.
Initially, House Bill 675 (HB 675) passed through the state’s Republican-controlled House of Representatives on 8 March by a vote of 55 in favour to 13 against.
Once the legislation arrived in the Senate, lawmakers expressed their opposition towards gender-affirming care, before they halted the progression of the bill.
“HB 675 undermines parental rights and allows the government to interfere in parents’ medical decision-making authority for their children. We believe in parents’ rights and that the best decisions regarding medical treatment options for children are made by parents, with the benefit of their physician’s advice and expertise.”
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