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Transgender care: Kentucky lawmakers struggle to finish bill

FRANKFORT, Ky. –

Republican lawmakers in Kentucky have struggled to complete a bill restricting the care of minors by sex, as internal differences forced them to push past a Thursday deadline to complete it. into a far-reaching proposal denounced by some outside voices within their party.

The Senate withdrew the bill in a razor-thin vote Wednesday night, but the action then came to an abrupt halt as the GOP-dominated chamber sought to regroup on Thursday. This is the last day lawmakers will meet until reconvening at the end of March for the final two days of this year’s session. Lawmakers must complete work on the bill by Thursday to be able to overturn a potential veto by Democratic Governor Andy Beshear.

Senate President Robert Stivers said Wednesday night that he did not know if some of the versions would eventually pass, pointing to “different opinions”. The Senate voted 19-17 to ease the bill’s restrictions on transgender youth, their families and health care providers.

“This is not the easiest subject,” Stivers told reporters.

In a session dominated by issues of culture war, the fate of the transgender bill – or which version can win a consensus – may not be decided until late Thursday. Republican leaders also face having to reconcile differences between the Senate and the House, where Republicans also have a majority.

When asked about the bill’s prospects just before the Senate convenes on Thursday, Majority Leader Damon Thayer said, “Watch it.”

Chris Hartman, executive director of the Equity Campaign, said: “The roller coaster ride” of the bill in the Senate reflects “what happens when the party of small government runs an impossible bill more obvious than government transgressions.” a Kentucky-based LGBTQ advocacy organization.

The issue sparked emotional debate from opponents of the bill, who called it discriminatory and said it would hurt transgender youth. On Tuesday, a former Kentucky congressman said his young grandchild would be among those affected if lawmakers barred access to sex-determined medical care for those under 18. year old.

“This bill exposes vulnerable children to an even harder life than they were born to be,” Jerry Miller, a Republican who served in the House of Representatives, told lawmakers. “Please don’t let a parent’s right to protect their children become collateral damage in the culture wars.”

Supporters of the bill say they are trying to protect children from undergoing gender-based treatments that they may later regret as adults.

“I don’t think this bill can be strong enough,” Republican Sen. Lindsey Tichenor said during a Senate committee hearing on Tuesday. “We’re talking about permanent, irreparable changes to a child. Their brains haven’t developed yet… They don’t know the possible consequences until they reach that age, and at that point, you can’t undo what’s being done.”

In the latest development, Republican Senator Danny Carroll successfully proposed an amendment on Wednesday to scale back the gender-affirming language passed by the House. In his language, surgical medical treatments for transgender youth will remain prohibited but some non-surgical treatment options will be allowed with parental consent. Permitted non-surgical options would include reversible puberty-blocking drugs.

To receive gender-appropriate care, a child will have to be diagnosed with gender dysphoria and be cared for by a doctor and mental health provider.

The amendment does not address other classes of the bill that were added by the Senate committee on Tuesday. One addition would allow teachers to refuse to refer to transgender students by their preferred pronouns. It will also require parents to be notified and given the opportunity to review the material before sexually related content is taught at their child’s school.

Nationwide, state legislators are approving broad measures against LGBTQ individuals this year, from bills targeting transgender athletes and tug-of-war performers to projects. laws restricting sex-determined care. In Mississippi, Republican Governor Tate Reeves recently signed a bill banning sex-affirming surgery or hormones in the state for anyone under the age of 18. The Republican governors of South Dakota and Utah signed a ban on sex-affirming care this year.



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