The real story on Europe’s transgender debate
politico.comTrans rights activists hold a counter demonstration next to a women’s rights demo organized by Women Won’t Wheesht in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 2021. | Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images By Kaja Klapsa 10/08/2023 07:00 AM EDT Link CopiedRepublicans are pointing to an unlikely authority in moving to ban or restrict gender-affirming care for minors: European governments.While many U.S.
medical organizations support gender-affirming care that can include puberty-blocking drugs, hormone treatments and surgery, GOP lawmakers argue progressive Europe is leading the way in limiting or barring access to care.“Sweden, France, Norway, and the U.K.
are reversing course and asking questions,” Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-Texas) said at a House Judiciary hearing this summer. “What do their doctors know that our doctors don’t?”Numerous Republicans, including Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, have also cited those countries in defending new laws banning or restricting care for minors in 21 GOP-controlled states.But a POLITICO review of the state of care for transgender people in Europe found more nuance than Republicans critics like Hunt and Bailey often portray.
While Europeans are debating who should get care and when, only Russia has banned the practice. The reassessment of standards in some European countries has aimed to tighten eligibility for gender-affirming care, but also sought to expand research studies including minors.Whether Europeans maintain this approach, broaden access, or further restrict it will likely affect the contours of the debate in the U.S.“There is a lot of intentional misinterpretation in the U.S.
