Over the past few weeks, Arkansas State Legislature has produced multiple bills that threaten the wellbeing of trans youth.
State legislators recently voted to pass the nation’s first law banning gender-affirming medical treatments for transgender minors, after overriding a veto from Gov. Asa Hutchinson and ignoring the resistance from medical organizations. This bill, along with one passed earlier that bans transgender women and girls from competing in school sports teams consistent with their gender identity, reaffirms Arkansas as the worst state in America for transgender kids.
Unfortunately, this might not be the case for long. Tennessee has already followed suit on the sports ban, and North Carolina has introduced a bill that prevents doctors from performing gender confirmation surgery for transgender people younger than 21.
The uproar that came from the legislature in Arkansas was substantial, but if we don’t continue to create the same commotion for the domino effect, the consequences for trans youth could prove to be devastating.
According to a study by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, in the Americas, trans women of color have a life expectancy of 30-35 years of age, while in comparison cisgender people have a life expectancy of around 78. Continuing to promote and produce this kind of legislation will only exacerbate this horrifying statistic, as well as pushing the notion that trans lives don’t matter in America.
This is not just a case of extreme government overreach. Prohibiting gender-affirming healthcare is telling trans youth that they don’t belong and that their lives don’t matter to legislators. That kind of alienation is detrimental to trans people’s health and wellbeing, and it is unacceptable for a government that is supposed to protect and fight for its constituents to discriminate against them.
It’s not about scoring political points with your constituency, or weaponizing religion. These are people’s lives that legislators are playing with.
Your sense of self and your identity is an integral part of existing, and to take that away from someone disregards their basic human dignity.
We cannot continue to create an environment that discriminates against trans youth, because we are only endangering children’s wellbeing. As an Arkansan, I am horrified that my home state is the pioneer of this hateful campaign against trans lives. Arkansas is setting the precedent, but other states are not far behind. The ACLU is planning to sue the state of Arkansas, but helping protect trans youth’s wellbeing is a fight we all need to be invested in. Children are our future, and we need to treat them all as such.
If you feel like your singular actions are hopeless in the fight, you’re wrong. You can contact your state legislature to reaffirm your support for legislation that protects transgender lives and encourage friends and family to do the same. Now is not the time to stay silent.
If you want to help, feel free to donate to The Trevor Project.
To lobby Alabama state legislature, find your legislator and tell them to vote against this transphobic legislation.