Current Events > Texas Senate approves bill that declares minor Trans Healthcare, child abuse

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https://twitter.com/TexasTribune/status/1387131431495798792?s=19

https://www.texastribune.org/2021/04/27/texas-senate-transgender-child-abuse/

The Texas Senate tentatively approved a bill Monday in an 18-13 votethat would classify providing gender affirming health care to transgender minors as child abuse just one of the Legislatures many attempts to prevent transgender children from transitioning before their 18th birthday.
Senate Bill 1646 is among several other bills that advocacy groups say erode the rights of transgender Texans. Authored by Lubbock Republican Sen. Charles Perry, it amends the definition of abuse under Texas Family Code to include administering or consenting to a childs use of puberty suppression treatment, hormones or surgery for the purpose of gender transitioning.
But its unclear what the legislations chances are in the House, where another major bill targeting transgender children appears to have stalled.

In a Senate committee hearing, SB 1646 attracted over four-and-a-half hours of public testimony from LGBTQ Texans, their parents and several state and national medical associations opposing the bills intrusion into intimate medical decisions. Social workers also testified the bill could put more transgender children into the foster care system, where they face elevated rates of suicide and depression.
Perry argued in floor debate that the bill was necessary to prevent children from making irreversible decisions that they may regret later, but experts say both parts of that claim are questionable.
According to Marjan Linnell, a general pediatrician, puberty suppression treatments are completely reversible and have been used for decades to delay early onset puberty. While other treatments such as hormones and surgery may cause irreversible changes, Linnell said the risks are discussed extensively with children and their parents before the procedures, which is typically only performed after puberty.
Research also shows that children typically solidify their gender identity around age 6 to 7, according to past Texas Psychological Association President Megan Mooney. In committee hearing and floor debate, legislators and invited experts claimed the many transgender children ceased to experience gender dysphoria later in life. However, many of the studies they cited have been widely critiqued for casting wide nets for participants that often include children who may act gender non-confirming for example, Linnell explained, a young girl who enjoys playing with trucks but do not identify as transgender.

A 2021 study by the Fenway Institute and Massachusetts General Hospital found that only 13.1% of transgender people have detransitioned at some point, and 82.5% of those cases were caused by external pressure and stigma related to being transgender rather than regretting their transition.
The Senate is set to take their final vote on the bill Wednesday. It previously passed Senate Bill 29, legislation that would force transgender students to participate in school sports based on the sex originally labeled on their birth certificate.
That bill has been sitting in a House committee since the Chair Harold Dutton, D-Houston, told the Houston Chronicle its identical House companion bill likely didnt have the votes to make it to the full lower chamber.
Angela Hale, senior adviser for Equality Texas, is glad that House committee doesnt support the bill and said that the conversation about restricting transgender Texans rights should have been left in 2017 with the death of that years so-called bathroom bill, which would have restricted public restrooms transgender Texans could use.

We ask the legislature, and especially leaders in the Texas House, to once again reject this and all unnecessary and harmful legislation and focus on issues that unite us as Texans, Hale said.
In the Senate, both the floor vote and committee vote on SB 29 were split directly down party lines, with every Republican voting for and every Democrat voting against. In both cases, Republican majorities pushed the bill forward despite backlash from LGBTQ Texans and business leaders.
But once the bill reached the house, Speaker Dade Phelan, a Beaumont Republican, assigned the Senate bill to the Public Education Committee instead, where its House companion had been sitting since the end of March. The day after SB 29 was assigned to the committee, House Bill 4042 was heard by the committees six Democrats and seven Republicans.
If the House bill had gone through the State Affairs committee like its Senate equivalent, it would have faced a 8-4 Republican majority. Instead, it went before what Houston Republican Rep. Dan Huberty, who was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated Saturday, called the most bipartisan committee we have in the Texas House during the hearing.

However, Phelan, who assigns bills to committees, may have difficulties making the same maneuvers for other bills, like SB 1646.
The Speaker did not return a request for comment, but previously told Texas Tribune CEO Evan Smith in a podcast interview last session that he didnt support bills bashing LGBTQ Texans.
Its completely unacceptable, he said at the time. This is 2019.
Last week, the House Public Health committee, made up of six Republicans and five Democrats, narrowly passed a bill that would ban children from receiving gender affirming medical care, such as puberty suppression treatments or hormones. That bill hasnt yet come up on the House floor.

Opposition to the sports ban also didnt pertain entirely to how it would affect transgender students. Huberty pointed out in committee hearing that the bill is nearly identical to current University Interscholastic League rules.
Im trying to figure out why we continue to pass bills that we dont need bills for, he said in the hearing.
Even if the bills pass through committee and floor votes in each house, theyll still need to be signed by Gov. Greg Abbott to become law. Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed legislation that would ban transgender women from school sports, and Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson vetoed another piece of legislation that

Its like they enjoy being on the wrong side of history. I'm not saying schedule a 3 year old for gender surgery, but like people in their teens can know and start the process.

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Fuck Texas. Fuck Republicans. Fuck conservatives.

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Sir Will posted...

Fuck Texas. Fuck Republicans. Fuck conservatives.

Why do republicans always pick denying civil rights to a group the hill to die on.

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While this was pushed largely by republicans. We should not say things like F--- them. Republicans only want to the best for Children, and in their guys making sure that they don't get this much needed treatment is helping them. I mean they do know better than the kids themselves and their mental help professionals .

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cjsdowg posted...

Republicans only want to the best for Children,

So why do they consistently make laws that either hurt them or create abuses against them?

I mean they do know better than the kids themselves and their mental help professionals .

Wait no, your a troll, never mind.
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I4NRulez posted...

Why do republicans always pick denying civil rights to a group the hill to die on.

It's not "the hill they're dying on", it's their end goal

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i want to believe this will last about 15 seconds in court, but who fucking knows how far we still have to go.

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Sir Will posted...

Fuck Texas. Fuck Republicans. Fuck conservatives.

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Fucking ghouls

Why can't politicians just fuck off and leave healthcare to the doctors?

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Well yeah, it is child abuse, although the research says that 16 is the lowest a person can safely transition, but most lawmakers think that's a touch too young and prefer to be on the safe side.
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Hop103 posted...

Well yeah, it is child abuse, although the research says that 16 is the lowest a person can safely transition, but most lawmakers think that's a touch too young and prefer to be on the safe side.

Shut the fuck up and stop hating trans people

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@Hop103

For young prepubescent children I can see a case being made where it is child abuse.

For a teen? Those can be critical years in self image, adult mental health, etc.

Depending on how broad this bill is, even giving profesional advice, and getting them set up to transition could be declared child abuse. Hell, even discussing it at all could be grounds.

It's better to leave this kind of stuff to the doctors and not the politicians

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Frolex posted...

It's not "the hill they're dying on", it's their end goal

They legit want to have all trans people die, in the closet, or jailed. Whatever combination removes us from ever being mentioned again.

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I said on the Politics board and I'll say it here: Republicans are redoubling their efforts against trans people because they're running out of targets

That being said, this issue is very iffy when minors are involved. I'm not 100% sure how I feel about it myself...
Well, I wouldn't call it "abuse" anyway

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YourLovelyTina posted...

I said on the Politics board and I'll say it here: Republicans are redoubling their efforts against trans people because they're running out of targets

That being said, this issue is very iffy when minors are involved. I'm not 100% sure how I feel about it myself...

Listen to trans people. This bill will leave a trail of dead trans people in its wake, and open the doors for further abuses down the line.

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YourLovelyTina posted...

I said on the Politics board and I'll say it here: Republicans are redoubling their efforts against trans people because they're running out of targets

Basically. Started against black people, moved onto to gay people, now they're pushing trans people while trying to reignite the other 2...the flame on the other 2 never went out, people were just able to throw enough water around it to keep it contained. They'll always find someone new to move to. If they're not holding someone back and taking away their rights they're not doing anything.

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wackyteen posted...

@Hop103

For young prepubescent children I can see a case being made where it is child abuse.

For a teen? Those can be critical years in self image, adult mental health, etc.

Depending on how broad this bill is, even giving profesional advice, and getting them set up to transition could be declared child abuse. Hell, even discussing it at all could be grounds.

It's better to leave this kind of stuff to the doctors and not the politicians

Good luck with that, even in countries like Japan, they have similar legislation (although Japan's is worse as it's 20 with lifestyle stipulations that I don't agree with).
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While 18 is a bit harsh, I wish they could compromise.

Like set the age at 12.

I will be the first to admit seeing some 6 year old parrot all the talking points their trendy soccer mom taught them, so they can have their dick removed and grow tits. Does seem wrong to me.

I don't think 18 should be the age.

As by that time it's almost to late for a good transition.

I feel like 11-12 is a good point at which the kid would really know what they want.

Keep in mind that trans healthcare for minors is comprised of puberty blockers and therapy. The child is given space to express their stated gender in therapy, and they're evaluated by the therapist to see whether they're deserving of gender-affirming surgeries or hormones when they're 18. Puberty blockers are reversible - you stop taking them and puberty progresses as usual - and the therapy is in place to allow a potentially transgender child to have a space to come to terms with their gender identity whether they end up being transgender or not, as well as to monitor their well-being and to judge whether they display the hallmarks of transgenderism.

At no point in that process is any child told "you are the opposite gender, and you should modify your body chemistry to alter your development". Trans healthcare for minors is keeping an eye on them, speaking with them and allowing them to come to terms with their gender identity - to which they may affirm that they're transgender, or come to any number of conclusions about their gender, including that they're ultimately cisgender - and letting them transition when they turn 18 after everyone in the equation is satisfied that their quality of life would be significantly hampered by being forced to live life as their assigned gender at birth.

How is that abusive?

Otherwise, they're like any other kid. They go to school, they make friends and they grow as people as they get older. Healthcare options for transgender children give them the room to come to terms with their gender identity, and if their gender identity is consistent, they transition as adults. Fuck all the scaremongering, there's nothing abusive about giving your child space to assert themselves, support to live healthy, happy lives, and therapy to help process what they're going through and to orient themselves.

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Also, i know the way the GOP will frame this (and most of their base will incorrectly push), is that this is about strictly sex change operations...No. a transitioning teen has a lot of health related resources it their disposal to not only help them transition, but also help their mental health while doing so. By throwing a blanket over that and taking it all away in the name of "THEY WANNA MUTLIATE CHILDRENS GENITALS" (because you know thats how some Republicans will frame it), They're once again proving to have absolutely zero understanding of anything.

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i. knew. i. was. trans. at. 4.

that was the 80s. so don't throw any of that "you're doing it to be trendy" bullshit.

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Whats the age range theyre talking about?

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RealityTalk posted...

While 18 is a bit harsh, I wish they could compromise.

Like set the age at 12.

I will be the first to admit seeing some 6 year old parrot all the talking points their trendy soccer mom taught them, so they can have their dick removed and grow tits. Does seem wrong to me.

I don't think 18 should be the age.

As by that time it's almost to late for a good transition.

I feel like 11-12 is a good point at which the kid would really know what they want.

if its 18 I think thats ignorant af.

12-13 with parental consent seems reasonable to me. But really if youre old enough to know what you are the choice should be yours and your guardians choice. As long as its healthy and safety comes first.

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"party of small government"

Sir Will posted...

Fuck Texas. Fuck Republicans. Fuck conservatives.

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Medussa posted...

i. knew. i. was. trans. at. 4.

that was the 80s. so don't throw any of that "you're doing it to be trendy" bullshit.

Oh shit, I didn't know you were trans! I don't really know what else to say that wouldn't potentially come off as dumb and weird, and I kinda used your post to springboard into another bunch of points about healthcare. Sorry, lol.

But yeah - I think people come to terms with some heavy emotional stuff at younger ages than we give them credit for. I was bullied throughout all of school, and I think I came to terms with the fact that I wasn't liked and that I had no self-worth at like age 10. I figured out the connection between depression as a word and as a feeling when I was 11 or 12. I started thinking about gender and sexuality when I was 14. Some people just know right out of the gate though, and when they go through an unconventional life experience - whether that experience is innate to their body like being transgender or being disabled (which I'm saying separately, not as a correlation), or whether that experience is forced upon them by outside sources like bullying, racism or sexual harassment - they come to terms with the effect it has on them and how it affects them socially, and they understand the degree of care that they need to live stable, fulfilling lives.

If you try to make that care harder for them to obtain, or if you obfuscate the options that they can choose from, you're denying someone a degree of personhood. And the fact is that you, as an outside influence with little to no insight into the condition and no stake in the care they receive outside of ideological opposition, can't justify witholding care from someone on the grounds that you don't understand what they're going through, or that you don't think their condition is legitimate.

Some people know that they're not straight or not cisgender from the moment they can perceive themselves as a person. Other people come to terms with it over time. To deny them therapy and reversible medical care that's as simple as not taking a pill any more, because you don't understand how they feel, is awful. Especially when they have a better idea of what they're going through than you do, and the care that's being denied to them is a non-intrusive way of confirming their condition with a medical professional and allowing them to transition as an adult.

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Conservatives continually holding back progress in this country.

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They just want to stop 5 years getting their penises cut off because they played with a doll!

Who cares if they made that up in their head and actual trans healthcare is a lot more deliberate and nuanced than that? Reality isn't scary enough to whip their voters into a frenzy.

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RealityTalk posted...

I will be the first to admit seeing some 6 year old parrot all the talking points their trendy soccer mom taught them, so they can have their dick removed and grow tits. Does seem wrong to me.

Username does not check out. When the fuck has this ever happened?

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RealityTalk posted...

While 18 is a bit harsh, I wish they could compromise.

Like set the age at 12.

I will be the first to admit seeing some 6 year old parrot all the talking points their trendy soccer mom taught them, so they can have their dick removed and grow tits. Does seem wrong to me.

I don't think 18 should be the age.

As by that time it's almost to late for a good transition.

I feel like 11-12 is a good point at which the kid would really know what they want.

Puberty blockers are reversible. What's a lot harder to reverse is going through puberty and trying to transition afterwards. Banning a kid from getting puberty blockers is making the decision for them instead of letting them make it themselves when they're older.
There's no reason to be against them unless you just hate trans people.

We have to protect the children!

But blame victims of rape for what they wear.
And ignore the kids that were murdered during school shootings.
Or forget about the children being separated from their families and trafficked by the US government.

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Of we learned anything from covid, it's that politicians dabbling in medicine is insane when you have a league of medical professionals to do the thinking

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There is a trans actress on Supergirl. You wouldn't even know she wasn't born female if you weren't already aware

Apparently she transitioned before puberty. I see that as an example of why many want to do it early

Zikten posted...

There is a trans actress on Supergirl. You wouldn't even know she wasn't born female if you weren't already aware

Apparently she transitioned before puberty. I see that as an example of why many want to do it early

It 100% is. I cannot tell you how many trans people I know are displeased with the end result because they started late. My girlfriend is one of them. What makes it worse is she knew very young but her father especially was staunchly against it. Even now still is, but at least she can get the hormones herself now. But I don't think she'll ever forgive him (for that or his myriad of other aggressions towards her) - nor should she imo

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The "facts don't care about your feelings" party yet again fighting tooth and nail against science because they don't like the way it feels

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At its very core, conservatism involves proudly and confidently standing on the wrong side of history for every single issue
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Great. Psychology is a pseudoscience with a serious replication crisis while used to justify all kinds of ethically dubious things, even to children.

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TX GOP: We believe in personal responsibility, individual liberty, and freedom for all to live their lives how they see fit without government intervention.

Also TX GOP:

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Welp, there is going to be no winning in a topic like this.

I hope the best for everybody and we'll leave it there.

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There are only 31 people in the Texas Senate?

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Life in prison for the senators in question.

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shockthemonkey posted...

What does that even mean?

Probably means Joe agrees with the bill

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This is a difficult topic so long as there is even a single person for which they regret their decision but it had long term or irreversible effects.

One could easily make the argument that such a case is a 1 in 10,000 (or more, I have no idea of the numbers) event and as such can be ignored. Though I think we are better off when we are honest about such things.

Just like I think we are better off saying "vaccines aren't harmless, but they are effectively harmless we compared against that which they are treating."

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Republicans seek active and legal means to destroy people.

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