Â鶹´«Ã½

World

    • Gender-affirming care bans expanding, access being cut: U.S. laws now targeting transgender adults

    Share

    Within the last few years, hundreds of bills have been introduced in the U.S. with the aim of stripping away, restricting, or even criminalizing gender-affirming care for transgender youth under 18 years of age, with proponents arguing that minors are too young to make these medical decisions.

    But in 2023, legislative attempts to strip trans people of health-care options have expanded their reach to a new age group: adults.

    In the past three months, at least five U.S. states have proposed bills that would limit gender-affirming care for adults either through direct bans or by barring medical facilities and Medicaid from covering this care.

    Two states — South Carolina and Texas — are considering bills that would ban all gender-affirming care for those under the age of 26, modelled after an Oklahoma bill introduced in January, though the age in that bill has since been lowered to 18 after backlash. Kansas is considering banning gender-affirming care for people up to age 21.

    “This is going against every idea of freedom and opportunity in this country,†Vivian Topping, director of advocacy and civic engagement at the Equality Federation, told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview.

    Gender-affirming care is medically necessary, evidence-based care that allows trans and gender diverse people to transition to the gender that matches their lived experience, according to the leading medical organizations in the U.S., including the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, which have

    Arguments in favour of banning care for trans people are largely made by conservative lawmakers, who believe they are protecting children and that minors cannot consent to medical care that could include irreversible changes.

    Last year, as Alabama governor Kay Ivey signed a gender-affirming care ban for minors, in 2022 saying she said, “We’re going to go by how God made us: if the Good Lord made you a boy, you’re a boy, and if he made you a girl, you’re a girl. It’s simple.â€

    Opponents of the legislation say that banning care for trans people at any age is dangerous, but suggesting trans adults shouldn’t be allowed to make their own decisions about their bodies is a jump in rhetoric.

    “We expect that folks have the right to live our lives how we see fit as long as we aren't hurting anybody,†Topping said. “Deciding what people can do with their bodies … try(ing) to obfuscate as much as we can about access to gender-affirming care, it’s just a continued attempt to erase and attack people who are marginalized.â€

    It’s the latest step in a strategy that advocates say began with sporadic bills banning trans people from using bathrooms or playing on sports teams that align with their gender identity, and has now snowballed into hundreds of bills ranging from anti-trans health-care bans to those curriculums, to bills

    “We have to understand the discussion around trans youth as a vector into the wider conversation and the goal to disrupt and limit trans rights overall,†Imara Jones told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview. Jones is the founder and CEO of TransLashMedia, runs a podcast about trans lives and topics in the U.S., and has produced a related docuseries.

    “The expansion of these bills into adults … makes total sense when you understand that that was the strategy all along.â€

    Some of the most vocal proponents of bans on gender-affirming care have openly stated that the focus on youth was to open the door to further attacks on trans rights and health care. Terry Schilling, president of the conservative American Principles Project, which lobbies and runs ads for Republican candidates, told the New York Times in January that , and that focusing on minors was just “going where the consensus was.â€

    The American Civil Liberties Union is that are on the table for the 2023 legislative session in the U.S.

    More than 115 of those bills pertain directly to health care for trans people -- largely seeking to ban or restrict access to gender-affirming care.

    Gender-affirming care can include puberty blockers, hormone treatments and surgical interventions, depending on the age of the patient and their individual goals. Studies have shown that depression, anxiety and suicidality are significantly reduced in trans people gender-affirming care.

    Since the start of 2023, seven states have prohibited gender-affirming care for those under 18 years of age through bills or medical board rules: Mississippi, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Florida, Georgia and Iowa.

    No laws that include adults in an outright ban on gender-affirming care have been passed at this stage.

    Under Texas' and South Carolina’s proposed bans, it would be a felony for a health-care provider to even refer a patient under the age of 26 for gender-affirming care. Health-care providers could be criminally prosecuted for providing this care up to 40 years after the patient underwent treatment.

    In practice, this would mean that while a cisgender 23-year-old could get a nose job or a breast augmentation without legal repercussions, a transgender 23-year-old in the same state would be barred from accessing similar procedures purely due to them being related to a gender transition.

    “It is all just discrimination,†Topping said.

    Oklahoma Sen. David Bullard that 26 was chosen as the initial age cutoff for the state's gender-affirming care ban “to account for scientific findings that the brain does not fully develop and mature until the mid- to late 20sâ€. No other laws in the U.S. use this theory, which some , to rescind health care from legal adults. Oklahoma in February at the Oklahoma Capitol, according to the Washington Examiner.

    Topping is concerned that even if bills banning health care for adults don’t pass into law, their existence could make health-care bans for minors seem less extreme.

    “It's them trying … to make the idea of banning best-practice medical care from transgender youth a normal idea,†she said. “And they're doing that by introducing the bigger, broader ban (that) makes their bans for youth seem moderate and normal.

    “The important thing to remember is that no matter what age range these bills are targeting, they are attacking best-practice medical care, and they are unnecessary.â€

    ELIMINATING CARE BY ELIMINATING COVERAGE

    No less dangerous to trans people, according to advocates, is the sharp rise in bills seeking to limit the capability of adults to access gender-affirming care by removing funding and coverage.

    The Texas Senate has introduced a bill that would ban public funding for all gender-affirming care, ban some health plans including Medicaid from covering any gender-affirming care, and make a health benefit plan issuer liable for a patients’ gender-affirming care in perpetuity.

    Essentially, it would not only vastly limit health-care coverage, but would spook potential providers away from offering gender-affirming care by making them liable for decades, and making it impossible to receive malpractice insurance.

    Similar bills are being considered in other states.

    A month ago, while discussing a separate Tennessee bill banning gender-affirming care for minors, Republican State Sen. Jack Johnson said that he wanted to “put children first … and let them make those decisions as adults.â€

    But Johnson is also backing HB1215, which would prohibit Tennessee’s Medicaid program from covering gender-affirming care, shutting off access to trans adults who cannot afford to access private care.

    A bill being considered in Florida includes a ban on gender-affirming care for youth, would prevent birth certificates being updated to reflect transition, allows courts to take custody away from a parent who affirms their trans child, and bans both public funds and private insurance being used for gender-affirming care for adults.  

    Florida is also currently considering Bill SB952, the “Reverse Woke Act,†which would place excessive liability on employers if they cover gender-affirming care.

    An Oklahoma bill called HB2177, which passed in the Oklahoma House at the end of February and now is in the Oklahoma Senate, bans facilities that receive public funds from allowing staff or facilities to be used for the provision of gender-affirming care “on any minor or adult.â€

    This would make it nearly impossible to find a provider, as all hospital systems receive public funds.

    Oklahoma already limited access in 2022 when it withheld millions in COVID-19 relief funds from the University of Oklahoma medical system until the system agreed to stop providing gender-affirming care.

    Others who've backed similar measures include former U.S. president Donald Trump, who promised in a January video that if he was re-elected, to minors and would create “a new credentialing body for teachers†in order to “promote positive education about the nuclear family, the roles of mothers and fathers and celebrating, rather than erasing, the things that make men and women different.â€

    He also added that he would prohibit any federal agency from “promot(ing) the concept of sex and gender transition at any age†— another sign that the anti-trans crusade is expanding far beyond children.

    Eliminating care by severing access is straight out of the anti-abortion playbook, advocates including Topping say.

    “What they're doing is saying, ‘OK, fine, you won't let us block, ban it completely, we will just make it incredibly hard to access,’†Topping said. “They've done the same thing when it comes to abortion. And the same through line here is that bodily autonomy.â€

    TRANS REFUGE

    Not every state is looking to limit access to care. Many have also increased protections for trans people, or passed bills or executive orders for families and individuals

    “We now have a situation in the United States where we have political refugees in our country,†Jones said. “I personally know families that have been planning for a year what they're going to do if a bill passes in their state, I know that there are groups of parents as well who have trans kids who cannot afford to leave their states, who are keeping the identity of their children a secret in order to protect them in various places in the United States where they know that there are authorities who wish to do them harm because of their gender identity.â€

    U.S. President Joe Biden denounced Florida and “cruel†in an appearance on the Daily Show last week, and several senates have attempting to protest anti-trans health-care bills.

    “I don't think most people are supportive of these bills,†Jones said.

    Topping agreed, saying she thinks the vast majority of “folks don't want to ban care that will help someone be the best version of themselves.â€

    Advocates believe that Texas and South Carolina’s bills banning gender-affirming care for those under the age of 26 are unlikely to pass, but that the escalation is far from over.

    “Trans folks are going to continue to speak up,†Topping said.

    “At the end of the day, trans folks are your family, they’re your friends, they’re your neighbours and co-workers. And folks just need to remember that.†

    CTVNews.ca Top Stories

    A team of tornado experts is heading to Fergus, Ont. after a storm ripped through the area Sunday night.

    Why brain aging can vary dramatically between people

    Researchers are uncovering deeper insights into how the human brain ages and what factors may be tied to healthier cognitive aging, including exercising, avoiding tobacco, speaking a second language or even playing a musical instrument.

    Canada

    • A team of tornado experts is heading to Fergus, Ont. after a storm ripped through the area Sunday night.

    • Two nephews of the beloved Harry R. Hamilton share stories about his life and legacy.

    • The union representing some 1,200 dockworkers at the Port of Montreal has overwhelmingly rejected a deal with their employers association.

    • A man who was critically injured in a police-involved shooting in Hamilton late Sunday afternoon has died in hospital, says the province’s police watchdog.

    World

    Politics

    • Murray Sinclair’s family members say the late justice and senator has been laid to rest according to his wishes.

    • Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced voters in Cloverdale—Langley City will pick their next member of Parliament on Dec. 16.

    Health

    Sci-Tech

    Entertainment

    Business

    Lifestyle

    Sports

    Autos

    Local Spotlight

    For the second year in a row, the ‘Gift-a-Family’ campaign is hoping to make the holidays happier for children and families in need throughout Barrie.

    Some of the most prolific photographers behind CTV Skywatch Pics of the Day use the medium for fun, therapy, and connection.

    A young family from Codroy Valley, N.L., is happy to be on land and resting with their newborn daughter, Miley, after an overwhelming, yet exciting experience at sea.

    As Connor Nijsse prepared to remove some old drywall during his garage renovation, he feared the worst.

    A group of women in Chester, N.S., has been busy on the weekends making quilts – not for themselves, but for those in need.

    A Vancouver artist whose streetside singing led to a chance encounter with one of the world's biggest musicians is encouraging aspiring performers to try their hand at busking.

    Ten-thousand hand-knit poppies were taken from the Sanctuary Arts Centre and displayed on the fence surrounding the Dartmouth Cenotaph on Monday.

    A Vancouver man is saying goodbye to his nine-to-five and embarking on a road trip from the Canadian Arctic to Antarctica.

    • LIVE

      LIVE

      Thousands of people are gathered in downtown Vancouver to observe the city’s 100th Remembrance Day ceremony.

    • A suspect was arrested for allegedly brandishing a knife outside a Vancouver elementary school on Friday – just as the young students were heading home for the day.

    • Toronto is expected to see an economic boost to the tune of nearly $300 million thanks to Taylor Swift’s upcoming Eras Tour, which will be making a stop in Canada’s largest city for a six-show run later this month.

    • One man was transported to hospital early Monday morning after a stabbing in the northwest end of the city, Toronto police say.

    • Calgarians will be observing Remembrance Day at a number of different ceremonies across the city, including at the Hangar Flight Museum.

    • Getting out to the mountains is even easier with a new bus route from a growing Germany-based service.

    • A home in the northeast Calgary community of Saddle Ridge was damaged in a fire on Sunday.

    • CTVNewsOttawa.ca looks at Remembrance Day ceremonies in Ottawa.

    • After months of controversy surrounding a dog park in Ottawa's west end, a solution has been reached to divide the park in half.

    • With fewer interments and rising maintenance fees, the money for Canada's largest military cemetery will run out in three to four years.

    • Montreal Metro passengers can now flag a safety concern by texting a new phone number launched by the STM.

    • The employers association at the Port of Montreal locked out nearly 1,200 longshore workers, bringing a halt to traffic at the port.

    • LIVE @ 10:45 A.M. MT

      LIVE @ 10:45 A.M. MT

      Monday is Remembrance Day, a time to honour armed forces members who have died in the line of duty.

    • WEATHER

      WEATHER

      This is shaping up to be one of the warmest Remembrance Days in the past decade, at least, for temperatures.

    • Maritimers will stop Monday to remember those who have served, and continue to serve, in Canada's armed forces for Remembrance Day.

    • A Cape Breton senior recalls her life in German-occupied France, and her mother’s death, during the Second World War.

    • Thousand of people gathered at the Menin Gate in the Ypres, Belgium for Monday’s Remembrance Day Ceremony.

    • Remembrance Day is today, and a number of ceremonies are taking place around the province to honour those who gave their lives to serve our country.

    • A pillar in Canada’s history was honoured in Winnipeg Sunday afternoon, with thousands showing up to pay tribute to the life and legacy of the late Murray Sinclair.

    • Winnipeg police have identified two men involved in a stabbing incident earlier this week.

    • There will be two ceremonies taking place in Regina for Remembrance Day, hosted by the Royal Canadian Legion.

    • Regina author Valerie Crowther is celebrating the release of her book ‘War Letters: Linking Lives in the Second World War.’

    • It was a somber day at Mosaic Stadium as members of the Saskatchewan Roughriders officially cleaned out their stalls and closed the book on the 2024 season.

    • Saskatchewan RCMP are searching for a suspect after a man was seriously injured in a farm-related incident in Montreal Lake.

    • It was a somber day at Mosaic Stadium as members of the Saskatchewan Roughriders officially cleaned out their stalls and closed the book on the 2024 season.

    • The Regina Rams claimed the Hardy Cup after a hard fought battle against the Saskatoon Huskies 19-14 on Saturday in the first all Saskatchewan U-Sports western conference final since 2002.

    • Emergency crews responded to the scene on Road 68/Highway 2 east of Thamesford around 7 p.m.

    • A team of tornado experts is heading to Fergus, Ont. after a storm ripped through the area Sunday night.

    • Three people were taken to hospital after a plane crashed in the Municipality of Southwest Middlesex.

    • A Barrie man is at the centre of an alleged $2.2 million stolen used car scheme.

    • Environment Canada issued a weather alert for Barrie, Collingwood and surrounding areas, alerting residents about the wicked winds that are expected to pick up to 80 kilometres per hour in the afternoon hours.

    • Barrie residents gathered on Monday to honour Canada’s veterans and pay tribute to those who served and sacrificed for the country.

    • Windsor Paralympic champion, Danielle Campo, has been crowned the number one Inspirational Speaker of the Year for 2024 at the Inspirational Speaking Finals.

    • Representatives of the Windsor Veterans Memorial Services Committee, military representatives, wreath bearers, government officials, and members of the public will attend the Cenotaph at City Hall Square for the outdoor service.

    • One person has been arrested after Chatham-Kent Police Service (CKPS) received multiple complaints about an alleged drunk driver.

    • Environment Canada says heavy rain and winds could cause power outages on Vancouver Island as an "intense" storm system is set to hit the B.C. coast Sunday.

    • Six deer were struck by vehicles in six different locations in a six-hour period on B.C. highways on Saturday, according to the transportation ministry.

    • The union for locked-out port workers in British Columbia says the BC Maritime Employers Association cut off talks in less than an hour Saturday, refusing to budge on a final offer that the union has so far rejected.

    • The emergency department at South Okanagan General Hospital in Oliver, B.C., will be closed for 31 hours this weekend, the second such closure in a week and the third since the start of November.

    • Police in Kamloops, B.C., are reminding parents and guardians to check their children's Halloween candy after receiving a report of a mother finding a razor blade in one of her daughter's treats.

    • More than two years after Alannah Brown and Douglas Barker were found dead north of Penticton, police are asking for help identifying a vehicle they believe was associated with the crime.

    • The Southern Alberta Recreation Association is officially announcing the Town of Taber as next year’s host for the Southern Alberta Summer Games.

    • The Lethbridge Hurricanes broke open a close game with three goals in the first two minutes of the third period as they defeated the Warriors 7-3 in a game played Friday night in Moose Jaw.

    • There might not a lot snow just yet, but many southern Albertans are still itching to get outdoors.

    • It was just days before the COVID-19 pandemic shut the world down when the Shaft Bottom Boys of Sudbury broke a world record for 'Deepest Concert Underground.' Now, more than four years later, a Timmins band is looking to take the title.

    • Police have arrested a 15-year-old in connection with a break-in and $50,000 in damage done to the Centennial Arena in Elliot Lake in September.

    • Mayors of the five largest cities in northern Ontario met in North Bay the last two days to discuss a range of critical issues impacting their cities and the region.

    N.L.

    Shopping Trends

    The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at Â鶹´«Ã½. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop. Read about us.

    Stay Connected
    Follow Â鶹´«Ã½