September 27, 2023 – Urgent!! We have just learned from our partners at Fair Wisconsin that Republicans in the State Legislature are circulating for co-sponsorship a statewide ban on medical care for transgender youth.
While sadly this is not a surprise, NOW is the time to take action and stand up for the privacy, freedom, and bodily autonomy of LGBTQ+ Wisconsinites. Contact your legislators NOW and tell them to OPPOSE the transgender medical care ban (LRB-0191/LRB-4459) and to support the freedom to access healthcare in Wisconsin. You can find your legislator here.
Talking Points:
- This bill represents one of the most extreme political attacks on transgender people in recent memory. Not only does it display a fundamental lack of understanding about transgender children, but it also bans best practice medical care for transgender youth that is backed by leading health authorities like the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
- Best practice medical care for transgender youth simply delays puberty until young people are old enough to make their own decisions about their lived gender. This bill aims to take away their choices and prevent them from living as the gender they know they are.
- Denying best practice medical care to transgender youth can be life threatening. Research shows that transgender youth whose families support their gender identity have a 52% decrease in suicidal thoughts, 46% decrease in suicide attempts, and significant increases in self-esteem and overall health.
Medical decisions are best left to patients, their families, and health care providers, in accordance with medical best practices. Politicians should NOT interfere with those decisions.