South Carolina Governor Signs Transgender Sports Ban Into Law
metroweekly.comSouth Carolina, and now the governor, ignore the voices of thousands of South Carolinians — including parents, medical providers, students, faith leaders, and transgender people ourselves — who expressed loudly and clearly that this bill will harm young people in our state,” Ivy Hill, the executive director of Gender Benders and the community health program director of the Campaign for Southern Equality, said in a statement. “Transgender youth are not a threat to fairness in sports, and this law now needlessly stigmatizes young people who are simply trying to navigate their adolescence, make friends, and build skills like teamwork and leadership, winning and losing,” Hill added. “…Despite this setback, we will never stop fighting on behalf of trans and queer young people, and our coalition will explore every strategy possible to surmount every barrier to equality.”A 2019 report from the Campaign for Southern Equality found that more than two-thirds of all LGBTQ people in South Carolina reported experiencing depression and anxiety, with even higher rates among transgender individuals and people of color.The Trevor Project, the world’s top crisis intervention and suicide prevention organization for LGBTQ youth, noted that feelings of isolation and stigmatization can lead LGBTQ youth to consider or attempt suicide.
