A bill was introduced by a group of Democratic lawmakers in West Virginia that forbids young trans adults from receiving gender-affirming care and mandates that state-licensed mental health professionals treat transgender people with conversion therapy.
S.B. 194, filed by Democratic state senators Mike Azinger, Laura Chapman, and Chandler Swope, is one of nine anti-trans bills submitted in the state so far this year. It would be necessary for “any mental health care professional, counselor, or federal teletherapy service” to prevent “exacerbating gender dysphoria” for clients under 21 by “continuing for state, hallucination, or problem with no intent of cure or cure-pursuing recovery.” Conversion therapy is a type of therapy that aims to “cure” LGBTQ+ identities by making patients straight and cisgender.
Additionally, the act would outlaw gender-affirming treatment for trans individuals under the age of 21, such as hormone replacement therapy, surgery, and talk therapy that affirms one’s identity. This law may simply limit healthcare access for trans adults because the state now forbids gender-affirming care for trans minors.
The bill compares transgender identity to suicide and asserts that it is a “sexual deviation.”
“It’s a one-way ticket to what they refer to as gender-affirming surgery care, right? However, I refer to it as surgery,” said Swope, one of the bill’s sponsors. He didn’t explain why, given that it involves numerous non-surgical treatments, he refers to all gender-affirming care as “surgery.”
He said of 18 to 21-year-olds, who can be burdened with student debt, married, and enlist in the military, “And I think it’s just not smart to help people at that age to make lasting life decisions.”
“There is no cure for transgender people,” West Virginia-based attorney Ash Orr told the LA Blade. Contrary to the false narrative that extremist politicians have fabricated about our community, “the truth is that trans people of all ages are living content, complete, and joyful lives.” This piece of legislation, which is based on deceptive or even outright false ideas, violates our most fundamental principles of privacy and self-control.
S.B. 195, another anti-trans bill filed in the state by Azinger, would prohibit any lesbian and/or trans publicity, performances, or screening to any minor. Transgender people may be prohibited from appearing on television or in state-wide advertisements if they are accessible to minors, according to the bill, which defines a screen as something that is “visible to the public or invited public.”
