FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Republican lawmakers in Kentucky revived a sweeping measure to ban nearly all gender-affirming care for transgender minors, repackaging a proposal Thursday that brought some opponents to tears.
Supporters of the proposal, which affects how gender is discussed in schools, rushed to beat a Thursday deadline to retain their power to override an expected gubernatorial veto. A slimmed-down version of the bill had stalled in the GOP-dominated Senate on Wednesday.
The bill’s foes denounced the fast-track maneuvering and the expanded measure’s implications for trans youths. Overcome with emotion, a sobbing Rep. Josie Raymond said children would be harmed. “I’m embarrassed and I’m appalled and I’m scared,” the Democrat said in opposing the bill in committee.
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Republicans backing a far-reaching version of the bill cobbled together a separate bill that hastily cleared a committee and won House passage. The measure headed to the Senate for a looming showdown vote on whether the bill goes to Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear.
Republican House Speaker Pro Tempore David Meade, in presenting the revived bill in committee, said: “Our job is to protect children, and that’s what we’re doing here.”
“Surgery or drugs that completely alter their life, and alter their body, is not something we should be allowing until they are adults,” Meade said later during the House debate.
The new bill designated to carry the sweeping trans-related provisions retained its original language — allowing teachers to refuse to refer to transgender students by their preferred pronouns and requiring schools to notify parents when lessons related to human sexuality are going to be taught.
Multiple layers were added to it — including the proposed ban on gender-affirming medical care for trans youths. It would outlaw gender reassignment surgery for anyone under 18, as well as the use of puberty blockers and hormones, and inpatient and outpatient gender-affirming hospital services. It would not allow schools to discuss sexual orientation or gender identity with students of any age.
The House — where Republicans hold a supermajority — passed the bill on a 75-22 vote after an emotional debate. One after another, opponents stood to denounce the bill while supporters were mostly silent. Democratic Rep. Keturah Herron called the bill “an attack on a very, very, very small population of people.”
Thursday was the last day Kentucky lawmakers were in session until late March, when they’ll reconvene for the final two days of this year’s session. By beating the Thursday deadline to send the bill to the governor, the GOP supermajorities would retain their ability to override a veto.
Beshear, who is seeking reelection this year, said such bills amount to “big government stepping in and imposing its will” on health care decisions that should be left to families.
“I also believe that every child is a child of God — every single one,” the governor said Thursday at his weekly news conference.
The expanded version was in stark contrast to the limited version that stalled Wednesday night in the Senate. The differences reveal divisions between House and Senate Republicans. The Senate narrowly voted to pare down the bill’s restrictions on transgender youth, their families and health care providers. Under the Senate approach, surgical medical treatments for trans youths would be barred but some nonsurgical treatment options would be allowed with parental consent. Nonsurgical options allowed would include reversible puberty blockers.
The issue has spurred emotional debate from bill opponents who call it discriminatory and say it would hurt transgender youth. On Tuesday, a former Kentucky lawmaker said his young grandchild would be among those affected if lawmakers banned access to gender-affirming medical care for those under 18.
“This bill condemns vulnerable children to an even more difficult life than they’ve already been born into,” Jerry Miller, a Republican who formerly served in the House, told lawmakers. “Please don’t let a parent’s right to protect their children be collateral damage in the culture wars.”
The bill’s “roller-coaster ride” in the Senate was a reflection of “what happens when the party of small government runs a bill that couldn’t be a more obvious government overreach,” said Chris Hartman, executive director of the Fairness Campaign, a Kentucky-based LGBTQ advocacy organization.
The bill’s supporters say they are trying to protect children from undertaking gender-affirming treatments that they might later regret as adults.
“I don’t think this bill could be strong enough,” Republican Sen. Lindsey Tichenor said during a Senate committee hearing Tuesday. “We’re talking about irreparable, permanent changes to a child. Their brains are not developed … They have no idea what the consequences could be until they get to that age, and at that point you cannot undo what is being done.”
Nationally, state lawmakers are approving extensive measures that restrict the rights of LGBTQ people this year, from bills targeting trans athletes and drag performers to ones limiting gender-affirming care. In Mississippi, Republican Gov. Tate Reeves recently signed a bill to ban gender-affirming hormones or surgery in the state for anyone younger than 18. The Republican governors of South Dakota and Utah have signed bans on gender-affirming care this year.
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Republican lawmakers in Kentucky struggled to wrap up a bill restricting gender-affirming care for minors, as internal differences complicated their push to beat a Thursday deadline to complete the sweeping proposal denounced by some outside voices within their party.
The Senate scaled back the bill on a razor-thin vote Wednesday night, but action then abruptly halted as the GOP-dominated chamber looked to regroup Thursday. It’s the last day lawmakers will meet until reconvening in late March for the final two days of this year’s session. Lawmakers have to complete work on the bill by Thursday to be able to override a potential veto by Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear.
Senate President Robert Stivers said Wednesday night that he didn’t know if some version would ultimately pass, pointing to the “varying opinions.” The chamber voted 19-17 to pare down the bill’s limitations on transgender youth, their families and health care providers.
“This is not the easiest of subject matter topics,” Stivers told reporters.
In a session dominated by culture war issues, the fate of the transgender bill — or what version could win a consensus — might not be decided until late Thursday night. Republican leaders also face having to reconcile differences between the Senate and House, where the GOP also has a supermajority.
The issue has spurred emotional debate from bill opponents who call it discriminatory and say it would hurt transgender youth. On Tuesday, a former Kentucky lawmaker said his young grandchild would be among those affected if lawmakers banned access to gender-affirming medical care for those under 18.
“This bill condemns vulnerable children to an even more difficult life than they’ve already been born into,” Jerry Miller, a Republican who formerly served in the House, told lawmakers. “Please don’t let a parent’s right to protect their children be collateral damage in the culture wars.”
The bill’s supporters say they are trying to protect children from undertaking gender-affirming treatments that they might later regret as adults.
“I don’t think this bill could be strong enough,” Republican Sen. Lindsey Tichenor said during a Senate committee hearing Tuesday. “We’re talking about irreparable, permanent changes to a child. Their brains are not developed … They have no idea what the consequences could be until they get to that age, and at that point you cannot undo what is being done.”
In the latest twist, Republican Sen. Danny Carroll offered the successful amendment Wednesday that scaled back the version that passed the House. Under his language, surgical medical treatments for trans youths would still be barred but some nonsurgical treatment options would be allowed with parental consent. Nonsurgical options allowed would include reversible puberty blockers.
To receive gender-affirming care, a child would have to be diagnosed with gender dysphoria and receive care from a physician and a mental health provider.
The amendment didn’t touch on other layers of the bill that were added by the Senate committee on Tuesday. One addition would allow teachers to refuse to refer to transgender students by their preferred pronouns. It also would require that parents be given notice and an opportunity to review materials before content relating to sexuality is taught at their children’s school.
Nationally, state lawmakers are approving extensive measures against LGBTQ individuals this year, from bills targeting trans athletes and drag performers to ones limiting gender-affirming care. In Mississippi, Republican Gov. Tate Reeves recently signed a bill to ban gender-affirming hormones or surgery in the state for anyone younger than 18. The Republican governors of South Dakota and Utah have signed bans on gender-affirming care this year.
