LGBTQ lawmakers from 19 states have or will introduce laws to protect trans kids from civil and criminal penalties when seeking gender-affirming care.At a virtual press conference May 3 with representatives from several states, gay California Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) announced a coalition of LGBTQ legislators, health providers, and civil rights groups from throughout the United States was working to introduce legislation in the various statehouses that would provide refuge and support for trans kids and their families.
New Hampshire State Representative Gerri Cannon (D), a trans woman, called for lawmakers across the country to support trans kids no matter where they reside."We should be giving children a chance at a normal life in a society that does not support people who are different," she said during the virtual meeting.The momentum is building from Wiener's March 17 announcement of his planned legislation that would provide protection to trans kids and their families if they come to California from states "criminalizing the parents of trans kids for allowing them to receive gender-affirming care." Written a short time later, his proposal is now encapsulated in Senate Bill 107, as the Bay Area Reporter previously reported.Last month, Wiener shared the bill language via Twitter in hopes of seeing other state legislatures also adopt it.