Proposed legislation in Kansas poses a threat to transgender and nonbinary youth, potentially denying them access to what they view as essential medical care.
Critics argue that the proposed bills, discussed in legislative committees on Thursday, could prevent doctors from offering gender-affirming care to teenagers and children grappling with gender dysphoria.
Although similar legislation failed to pass last year, Republicans have previously succeeded in imposing restrictions on transgender individuals, affecting their participation in sports and their ability to change the gender marker on state identification.
This development is part of a broader trend of legislative efforts across the country targeting gender-affirming care and transgender rights.
During hearings in Senate and House committees, transgender Kansans, their advocates, and medical professionals strongly opposed the bills, leading to some individuals being removed from the House hearing by committee chair Brenda Landwehr, a Wichita Republican, due to perceived disruptions.
Jaelynn Abegg, a transgender Wichita resident and Landwehr’s Democratic opponent in the 2022 race, warned that “if it becomes law, there will be consequences.”
She continued, just before Landwehr motioned for her to take a seat, “As children begin to die around us, it sickens me that most of this Legislature will be patting themselves on the back with their bloodied red hands.”
The initial proposal, presented by Ron Bryce, a Republican Representative from Coffeyville, aims to prohibit the usual gender-affirming treatments for teenagers and children in Kansas. This includes measures such as puberty blockers, hormone replacement therapy, and surgeries.
During the testimony in support of the bill, Bryce compared these care practices to the historical use of lobotomy, stating that it was once considered mainstream in medicine before being discredited.
The second proposed legislation, presented by Landwehr, aims to prohibit gender-affirming surgeries for youth and impose limitations on hormone replacement therapy for individuals of all ages in Kansas.
The bill requires doctors to adhere to clinical practice guidelines outlined in a 2017 journal article by the Endocrine Society, which some argue are outdated, including Amanda Mogoi, a Wichita nurse practitioner specializing in transgender patient care at M-Care clinic. She noted the rarity of individuals under 18 undergoing gender-affirming surgery.
Mogoi, along with other medical experts, expressed concerns about the far-reaching consequences of these restrictions, particularly for transgender youth who already face marginalization and heightened rates of mental health issues and suicide.
Nationally, major medical organizations advocate for gender-affirming care for youth experiencing gender dysphoria.
Asher Wickell, a Wichita marriage and family therapist who opposed the first bill, asserted that such legislation would hinder licensed clinical providers in the state from practicing ethically, potentially prompting some to relocate outside the state.
“This is not only a bill that would kill our children and impact our families,” he stated. “This will drive away from practice, or from the state, the doctors and the nurses in your hometown hospital, the therapists in your community mental health center, your emergency room, and those of your constituents.”
Supporters of the measures, who were mostly from outside the state, claimed that enabling adolescents to obtain gender-affirming medical treatment is dangerous and increases the likelihood that they will later regret their choice.
Jamie Reed, a former employee at a gender clinic in St. Louis who came up last year with allegations of misprescribing and other problems at the facility, was one of the backers. Later that year, a broad restriction on juvenile care that promotes gender identity was implemented by Missouri lawmakers as a result of her accusations.
Chloe Cole, a California activist who opposes gender-affirming medical treatment for minors, said that having a double mastectomy and hormone replacement therapy before turning 18 had left her irreversibly disfigured.
“I fell victim to gender ideology. This ideology targets kids like me who are different, who are on the autistic spectrum, or struggling with puberty, trauma and forming their identity as they grow into adults,” she stated. “We need to stop the medical industry from taking advantage of these kids, the same way I have been.”
According to medical experts, doctors will only consider delivering medical interventions for minors after obtaining mental health care and other forms of support, and adolescents in Kansas can only receive medical interventions with parental agreement.
