“We should all be on a level playing. We should all have the freedom to chose anything in life and pursue it, without fear or discrimination. “

“As a DACA recipient, I grew up living in fear of deportation. And I work with queer and trans youth, and I see a similar fear in their eyes. These trans youth fear that they will be outed in schools. Trans youth, we are here to support you and we will not stop fighting for you. “

“Sport has been such an important part of my life. It’s where I learned how to play on a team, how to win and how to lose, how to be a good sport.”

“Today I wanted to give a message of love and support to all of the trans youth out there–not just in South Carolina but in the whole United States.”

“How do we support our youth in a state that is working so hard to take away their rights and basic humanity? Here’s how: We show up.”

“Most of the testimony I've heard supporting this bill is fear-based and from people speaking in hypotheticals. It’s a bunch of paper tiger paranoia.”

“What right do we have to actively prevent our youth from finding their community with those that share their gender identity?”

“Children who struggle with differences, seen and unseen, are prone to being targeted by policies and practices that threaten to make their challenges even more daunting. H3477 is one of those policies. “

“As much as the sponsors of this bill say they want to protect youth in school, they seem to disregard that some of the youth who they need to be protecting are trans. “

“I’m here today to ask you to join me in sending a clear message to trans youth across our state: Your identity is valid. You are real, and brave, and good.”

“Transgender women and girls ARE women and girls. I am asking committee members to vote NO on H.3477. “

“I cannot in good conscience see legislation like this that would remove the opportunity to play sports – which were so impactful for me – from these young people who I’ve come to know, love, and respect so much.”

“Passing a bill like this will be bad for LGBTQ people. It’s bad for youth and students in general. It’s bad for our communities and schools. It’s bad for our state.”

“When you vote on this bill, please consider the lives of transgender youth that you are putting in danger. “

“Pediatricians have a role in advocating for policies and laws that protect youth who identify as transgender from discrimination and violence.”