A Louisiana bill passed which bans sex reassignment surgery for minors. The bill was sponsored by Republican state representative Gabe Firment, but was supported by several Democrats. Firment said in a statement, “The people of Louisiana have made it clear that our children are worth fighting for.”
Louisiana will join 17 other states that have similarly enacted restrictions on the processes and drugs necessary to “transition” minors. Hormone treatments, puberty blockers, and surgeries intended for children would be outlawed under the Louisiana legislation.
In addition to the ban on sex-change operations and hormone treatments, Louisiana lawmakers approved bills that constrain teachers — prohibiting educators from discussing non-educational topics such as gender identity and sexual orientation. Further, the bills would maintain that, for the purposes of all records, students are the sex observed at their birth.
Democrat Governor John Bel Edwards opposes the legislation, but it has passed with “a wide enough margin in the Republican-controlled state legislature to potentially override a veto” and “the governor’s response to the bill is yet unknown” , adds National Review.
Supporters of the bill argue that the measure aims to protect children from risky, unnecessary, and unproven medical treatments. Critics claim that the bill denies necessary care and could “harm the well-being of transgender youth” and have gone so far as to misleadingly call such measures “Don’t Say Gay” laws.
National Review adds, “The State of Louisiana has an estimated 4,000 transgender teenagers. If the bill becomes law, transgender minors who want surgery and hormone treatments would have to seek them outside the state.”