Target: Louisiana’s State House Speaker, Clay Schexnayder
Goal: Stop attack on the healthcare and freedoms of trans youth.
The basic rights of trans youth in Louisiana are under attack, as a piece of anti-trans legislation progresses through a committee in the State House. The bill, HB 570, restricts medical professionals from providing “gender affirming treatments,” including the use of puberty blockers, to folks under the age of 18. It also requires teachers to ‘out’ trans students to their parents. Speaker Clay Schexnayder must stop the bill from reaching the House floor.
Puberty blockers are used to treat youth gender dysmorphia by temporarily stopping the physical changes of puberty, which allows gender nonconforming folks to explore their identity in a safe and reversible way. HB 570 claims these treatments are risky because of few studies “evaluating the risks and benefits of using these drugs” to treat gender dysmorphia. However, this is at odds with what experts have found. According to the St. Louis Children’s Hospital, most experts agree using puberty blockers in this way is safe.
This bill also requires school employees to ‘out’ trans students to their parents and prohibits them from encouraging trans youth to conceal their identity from family. According to the National Network for Youth, LGTBQ+ individuals (including gender nonconforming folks) are 120% more likely to experience houselessness. These sky-high rates are primarily caused by conflict in the young person’s family over their gender or sexual identity.
HB 570 would deny trans and other gender nonconforming folks safe medical treatments for their gender dysmorphia, leading to an increase in depression or suicide among a population already at a higher risk of experiencing these struggles. By legally requiring teachers to ‘out’ trans and other gender nonconforming youth to their families, the bill can also make a student’s home a dangerous place for them, or even contribute to them becoming houseless. Sign this petition to help protect Louisiana’s trans youth and urge Speaker Schexnayder to stop HB 570 from reaching a vote.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Speaker Schexnayder,
A piece of anti-trans legislation, HB 570, is moving through committee in Louisiana’s State House. HB 570 would restrict medical professionals from providing “gender affirming treatments,” including the use of puberty blockers, to trans youth. This would deny young trans and other nonconforming folks medical treatments deemed safe by experts and could increase rates of depression or suicide among Louisiana’s youth.
Additionally, by requiring school employees to ‘out’ trans students to their parents, the bill could cause these youth to experience a lack of safety at home or even houselessness due to the conflict created within their family as their gender identity is revealed. This possibility is demonstrated by the shocking 120% increase in houselessness experienced by LGBTQ+ youth, including young gender nonconforming folks. These rates are primarily driven by conflict within the young LGBTQ+ person’s family over their gender or sexual identity.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Ted Eytan
Counselling should be part of this kind of treatment. If telling the parents would put the teen in an unsafe situation, then don’t tell them. Wouldn’t the parents figure out if the teen was taking hormone blockers? Why can’t they “explore” the identity they are biologically?
Transphobic trash.
The trash that needs to leave are garbage like Mark Robinson RIGHT WING TRASH being endorsed by tRump. Calling gay people garbage and other RIGHT WING TRASH CHRISTIAN pastors saying gays should be executed.