The Texas State Senate Passed Two Legislation Bills That Will Have A Direct Impact On The Transgender

The Texas State Senate passed two legislation bills that will have a direct impact on the transgender community and their allies. They are known as SB 1646 and SB 1311, which prohibits Texans under the age of 18 to have physical and medical care related to transitioning genders. The bill restricts hormone therapy and puberty blockers as well as surgical proceedings. The bills also redefine the term “child abuser” to include parents who provide or consent to giving transitioning treatment to their child. Any professional that provides a child the treatments described above will have their medical license removed. The only exception to the bills are if a child is intersex, which means they have a missing part of their reproductive system. 

The supporters of the bill believe that giving a child transitioning care will only confuse and hurt them. Chairman West said the following in a testimony:

“It is imperative to assert that what a legally recognized adult seeks to do with their body is not the issue here. What we are concerned with are the hormonal therapies, puberty blockers, and genitalia surgeries being conducted on children, in some cases as early as eight years of age. The American Psychiatric Association has gone so far as to classify this very disconcerting practice as child abuse. This is not something we should be allowing, or tolerating, in the Lone Star State.”

He continues the testimony by stating that he only wants to protect the children of Texas and that the LGBTQ+ community’s efforts to provide these treatments are “coercive and intimidating.”

However, many non-LGBTQ+ organizations such as the St. Louis Children’s hospital have claimed and provided evidence that transitioning treatments, especially puberty blockers, do not harm children and are entirely reversible. They also claim that the treatments can help against gender dysphoria, contradicting the Texas State Senate. Gender dysphoria is described as a feeling of discomfort for one’s assigned gender and the associated bodily changes. This is distressing to youth who believe they are transgender because they have to live and watch themselves become something that they are not. Puberty blockers and hormonal therapy is designed to regulate hormones while the child deals with their dysphoria and finalize which path they want to take, either continue transitioning or stay as the assigned gender. There are a few side effects of puberty blockers, such as treatable lower bone density and less development of genital tissue. Besides that, once puberty blockers are not taken anymore, the child’s body will continue to develop.

Now that the bills have passed the Texas State Senate, they have to go through the Texas House and be signed by Governor Abbott to be put into effect. Residents of Texas can still contact their house representative to plead for or against the bills.