Today, anti-equality members of the Wisconsin state legislature have yet again decided to prioritize stripping rights away from trans children and their families over doing proactive work that would actually help Wisconsinites. Instead, these legislators have introduced LRB-0479, a bill that targets some of the most vulnerable residents of our state by attempting to prevent them from accessing health care and punishing doctors who provide that care. These legislators are, again, attempting to codify misinformation into law. Fair Wisconsin and GSAFE have fought this kind of discriminatory bill before, and we will do it again.
Abigail Swetz, Executive Director of Fair Wisconsin, issued the following statement:
“Health care for trans youth is health care that is medically-accurate, age-appropriate, high-quality, respectful health care. It is gender-affirming, and it is life-affirming for the youth, as well as for the families who love and support these kids and their access to this health care. Those of us who are lucky enough to have trans youth in our lives know this firsthand; I have witnessed the life-affirming impacts of this care, and I will never forget the joy I saw on those kids’ faces when they told me about something as simple as a doctor’s appointment. Wisconsin is a better, richer, more beautiful place thanks to the incredible trans kids who call our state home, and the least we can do it ensure they can grow into the thriving adults who will continue to enrich our state; we owe it to their families and to each other, and guaranteeing their access to the health care they need is how we can make that possible.”
Brian Juchems, Senior Director of Education and Policy of GSAFE, issued the following statement:
“Health care makes it possible for children to show up as their full selves and be present for learning, and then, in turn, grow into thriving adults. I know we all share a commitment to ensuring Wisconsin is a state where we can all thrive. At least, I would like to believe that, but bills like this attempt to cut children off from their own health care, or the bills introduced yesterday attempting to prevent athletes from accessing the joy of playing sports, they really call that belief into question when it comes to certain members of the legislature. This legislation would strip the rights of some parents to make informed decisions about their child’s long-term health and their own family’s well-being. And still, anti-equality members of the legislature are trying to take these decisions away from parents and instead place those decisions in the hands of politicians.”
Fair Wisconsin is Wisconsin’s statewide LGBTQ+ civil rights and political advocacy organization, dedicated to building a fair, safe, and inclusive state where LGBTQ+ people are treated with dignity and respect. GSAFE is Wisconsin’s statewide LGBTQ+ education and advocacy organization, committed to building thriving school communities for LGBTQ+ youth and students.
