The following weekly digest is written and compiled by the Trans Formations Project, a grassroots nonprofit dedicated to tracking and educating about the anti-trans legislative crisis currently sweeping the United States. You can follow their work and latest updates via Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Tumblr, and Facebook.
Hello readers. It’s Friday, May 5th, 2023, and we have a new spate of news to cover this week. We also post a weekly thread of action items that we update daily on our Twitter. As a reminder, The National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) is asking folks to submit photos to support trans and intersex youth as part of their #LetUsPlay campaign. You can learn more and submit your photos through this Google form.
Please note that all hearing times are local times.
Texas SB17; a schooling bill has a hearing on May 8th at 8am in E2.010.
Texas SB14; an all-out ban on gender-affirming care, had its hearing delayed this week, and is now scheduled for TODAY, when it returns to the house floor.
One major victory won this week is that Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s emergency orders, which would de facto ban gender-affirming care across all ages in Missouri, has received a hefty delay. The temporary restraining order (TRO) preventing its implementation pending trial has been extended from May 15th all the way out to July 24th (or until the Judge issues an injunction).
Transphobic organizations have also had a rough week this week. The American College of Pediatricians (ACPeds), a hate group masquerading as a medical organization, has had over 10,000 of its files leaked because it failed to secure its data properly, leaving the information widely available to lawyers and press alike. As ACPeds is directly involved in many of the proceedings attempting to curtail transgender rights, this is a win.
In a related vein, the American Psychoanalytic Association has, reckoning with its own past, issued a firm statement in opposition to bans on gender-affirming care.
Apart from the routine volume of anti-trans bills moving through statehouses, there are some standouts this week that bear serious attention.
Florida has passed a flurry of anti-trans bills that now go to Governor DeSantis’s desk. It’s hard to say which of these is the worst. Is the bathroom bill that outright criminalizes using bathrooms that accord with your gender identity if you’re trans–which had to be scaled back to not include restaurants and gas stations at the last minute even to pass the Florida legislature? Or, is it the gender-affirming care ban which also has provisions to straight-up kidnap children from trans parents for no other reason than that the parents are trans? Or, is it the schooling bill which erases trans identities entirely, declaring that “a person’s sex is an immutable biological trait” and that it’s fraudulent to use a pronoun that doesn’t match assigned sex at birth? Florida’s trifecta are beyond abhorrent, and all eyes should be on efforts to combat these bills once DeSantis signs them into law.
It is also worth noting that repression of protest has escalated. Texas, in particular, displayed brutality toward those protesting against SB14 last Tuesday.
Lastly, the debacle Montana State Rep. Zooey Zephyr faces continues. Her attempt to return to the house after being arbitrarily ejected as an obvious retaliation for her positions was rejected by a Judge, using separation of powers as an excuse. Worse, she and her partner Erin Reed faced swatting attempts this week–which were mercifully thwarted.
- Rhode Island S0957, a schooling bill, was introduced yesterday and sent to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
- Rhode Island S0958, a healthcare bill, was introduced yesterday and sent to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
- Rhode Island S0960, a sex designation bill, was introduced yesterday and sent to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Bathroom bills. A bathroom bill denies access to public restrooms by gender or trans identity. They increase danger without making anyone any safer. They have even prompted attacks on cis and trans people alike. Many national health and anti-sexual assault organizations oppose these bills.
- As noted above, Florida–one of the most extreme bathroom bills, HB1529–has passed and sits before DeSantis for approval.
Healthcare bills. Healthcare bills go against professional and scientific consensus that gender-affirming care saves lives. Denying access will cause harm. Providers are faced with criminal charges. Parents are threatened with child abuse charges and intersex children are typically exempted. For a visual representation of healthcare bans across the U.S., The Movement Advancement Project has an interactive map you can use.
- Florida S1580 passed the Senate last Friday and passed its first and second readings in the House. It will move onto a third reading.
- Montana SB99 was signed last Friday. It is now law.
- North Carolina H808 passed committee yesterday and was sent to the House floor.
- Oklahoma SB613 was signed yesterday. It is now law.
Drag bans. Public performance bans, or "drag bans," restrict access for folks who are gender non-conforming in any way. They loosely define "drag" as any public performance with an “opposite gender expression,” as sexual in nature and inappropriate for children. This also pushes trans individuals out of public spaces.
- Missouri HB 494 passed committee and was sent to the House floor
- Montana HB359 passed conference committee today and had its final approval vote scheduled.
Schooling bills. Schooling / Parental Rights bills remove life-saving affirmation and support for trans youth. They ban instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity. Teachers and administration are forced to misgender students and/or use deadnames. Schools are also required to alert parents if they suspect a child is trans.
- Alaska HB105 was sent to the House Judiciary Committee last Friday
- Florida S0266 passed the Senate last Friday and had its first reading in the House.
- Indiana HB1608 passed the Senate last Friday and was sent to the Governor
- Texas SB17 was sent to the House Higher Education Committee last Friday
Sex designation bills. Sex designation bills make it harder for trans folks to have IDs, such as birth certificates, that match their gender identity. They can force a male or female designation based upon sex assigned at birth. Some ban a non-binary “X” marker or require surgery to qualify for ID updates.
- Texas HB1952 had a committee report distributed yesterday; making a house vote likely in the near-future.
Sports bans. Most sports bills force schools to designate teams by sex assigned at birth. They are often one-sided and ban trans girls from playing on teams consistent with their gender identity. Some egregious bills even force invasive genital examinations on student athletes.
- Alaska BH183 was introduced last Friday and sent to the House Education Committee
- North Carolina S636 passed committee, was sent to the Senate Rules and Operations Committee, and then moved to the Senate floor
- Texas SB15 had a hearing in the House Higher Education committee
- Alabama HB261 passed the Senate, and has been sent to the house for approval.
Other anti-trans bills.
- Arkansas HB1738 failed in the House Education committee
- Florida H0431 was substituted out for the Senate’s S0486 last Friday, and thus the House bill skipped committee. The bill passed both chambers and was sent to the Governor. This bill adds a felony for anyone 24 or older who solicits a person of 16 or 17 years of age in writing to commit lewd or lascivious acts. Because past bills have defined trans existence and drag as “lewd and lascivious,” this new felony will likely be used to target queer and trans people.
- Montana SB518 passed the House with amendments last Friday and had its first approval vote in the Senate scheduled. It will need two approval votes in total to pass.
- Texas SB1072 passed its second reading in the Senate yesterday and moved on to its third
- Texas SB559 passed committee yesterday and has gone to the House floor.
If you want to keep up with legislative updates throughout the week, be sure to connect with us on social media. We also have a daily stream where Trans Formations Project content creator Tabbytha does a daily breakdown of legislative updates. Be sure to tune in tonight and every weekday at 6 pm Eastern time at twitch.tv/thetransformationsproject.
We know that staying up-to-date with anti-trans legislation may be distressing to our readers. If you or someone you know needs support, here are a few affirming resources that you can reach out to:
- If you need support or are in crisis you can contact the Trans Lifeline hotline at (877) 565-8860. - The Trans Lifeline is run by trans people, for trans people, and does not engage in non-consensual active rescue, meaning they will not call law enforcement without your consent.
- You can connect with a Trevor Project crisis counselor via phone 1 (866) 488-7386, chat, or text (Text ‘START’ to 678-678) support. - Note: This resource could utilize non-consensual active rescue, including law enforcement, 911, and first responders.
- You can call the LGBT National Hotline at (888) 843-4564, or connect with a peer via chat. - The LGBT National Help Center will NOT call other suicide hotlines, law enforcement, 911, or rescue services.
- BlackLine is a BIPOC LGBTQ+ support line, run by BIPOC folks, for BIPOC folks. This resource does not involve law enforcement or state agencies. You can call 1 (800) 604-5841 to chat with a peer.
- For folks under 25, you can call the LGBT National Youth Talkline at (800) 246-7743. - The LGBT National Help Center will NOT call other suicide hotlines, law enforcement, 911, or rescue services.
- Adults (folks 18+) can text the THRIVE Lifeline which is trans-led and operated. Text "THRIVE" to (313) 662-8209 to begin your conversation. - THRIVE Lifeline does NOT call emergency services for people that are at risk of harming themselves without their consent.
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