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Friday, January 24th, 2020

Dozens of anti-LGBTQ state bills already proposed in 2020, advocates warn

Author:     Julie Moreau
Source:     NBC News
Publication Date:     Jan. 23, 2020, 10:26 AM PST
 Link: Dozens of anti-LGBTQ state bills already proposed in 2020, advocates warn
Stephan:   I am always amazed at how little attention is paid by the media about something that seems very glaring to me. I am speaking of the Republican christofascist obsession about how people define themselves sexually, and what they do with their genitals. I can understand that it would be a factor, like race or religion. It's a fact.  The fact isn't the issue. It is how one reacts to that fact, and this LBGTQ assault is weird and defining. Attention should be paid to this reality because it is shaping social policy and yet is held by only a third of Americans, and it does not foster wellbeing.

Aerin Geary, 15, is paying close attention to a South Dakota bill that would prevent them from being prescribed puberty blockers.
Credit: Aerin Geary

Like most high school students, Aerin Geary does not typically pay attention to state legislation. However, the South Dakota teenager has been closely following House Bill 1057, a Republican proposal that would make it a felony for medical professionals to provide transgender health care to minors.

“This bill makes me feel scared, since this is something that affects me deeply,” Geary, 15, who identifies as nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns, told NBC News. “Transitioning is something that I’ve been hoping to get and been yearning for for years.

The high school sophomore is afraid that if the legislation passes, plans to take puberty-suppressing medication will be delayed indefinitely.

“I recently managed to convince my family to allow me to start transitioning, and I’m so close to getting there,” Geary said. “To take it away from me when I’m so close would be a huge blow to my hope.”

HB […]

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