South Carolina Subcommittee Advances Anti-Transgender Bills, Following Hours of Testimony from Medical Professionals, Parents of Trans Youth, and Advocates
Today, the South Carolina Senate Committee on Medical Affairs held a second hearing on two anti-transgender bills and voted to advance the bills to the full Senate Medical Affairs Committee. The bills are:
S.627, a dangerous anti-transgender healthcare ban that will prohibit transgender youth from accessing best practice, age-appropriate medical care – care delivered after careful consultation with the young person’s parents and doctors. The bill also forces teachers to disclose confidential conversations they’ve had with students about their sexual orientation or gender identity to the student’s parents, even if that would put the student in danger at home.
S.623: which interferes with the identity documents of transgender people.
S. 627 includes an extreme gender-affirming care ban that will directly place the health, safety and wellbeing of transgender youth in South Carolina at risk. Gender-affirming care is age-appropriate care that is medically necessary for the well-being of many transgender and non-binary people who experience symptoms of gender dysphoria, or distress that results from having one’s gender identity not match their sex assigned at birth. Every credible medical organization – representing over 1.3 million doctors in the United States – calls for age-appropriate gender-affirming care for transgender and non-binary people.
More than a dozen supporters of transgender equality testified in opposition to the legislation. Dozens more submitted written testimony and prepared to speak out in opposition during an event on the steps of the SC Statehouse later in the afternoon.
Mary Foster (she/her pronouns) is the mother of a transgender young person. She spoke today at the subcommittee hearing. She said in her testimony:
“When our 15 year old son told my husband and me that he was transgender, we were not shocked but we needed help to process and understand. Fortunately, we had a team of supportive medical providers who were able to help us navigate this. Our son received phenomenal care and flourished. What I truly cannot understand is how my son receiving the care he did has harmed anyone in this room or in this state. His transition enabled him to be happier and healthier and therefore a more fully engaged and contributing member of society. He’s alive and thriving because he had access to quality, evidence-based medical care.”
Chase Glenn (he/him pronouns), a leader in the SC United for Justice & Equality coalition who serves as Executive Director of Alliance for Full Acceptance, released the following statement:
“It’s outrageous that politicians who lack any medical training are now legislating their personal beliefs onto the people they are supposed to serve. Decisions about what medical care – care that is supported by every major medical association including the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics – is appropriate for transgender youth should be left up to that individual with their family and their doctors. In addition, not allowing transgender people to have their gender marker on their birth certificate match their gender identity opens them up to all types of discrimination -- including in housing, employment and health care.”
Cathryn Oakley, HRC’s State Legislative Director and Senior Counsel released the following statement:
“This slate of anti-transgender bills would terrorize transgender youth in schools, in doctor’s offices, and even could put them in danger at home. After hearing powerful testimony from parents, medical professionals and advocates speaking out in opposition to discrimination, the Senators decided to advance these harmful bills. These politicians have no place inserting themselves in conversations between doctors, parents, and transgender youth about gender affirming care. This is simply a cruel attempt to stigmatize, marginalize and erase the LGBTQ+ community, particularly transgender youth.”
The bill now heads to the full Senate Medical Affairs Committee.