North Carolina Senate Passes Radical Bill Banning Gender-Affirming Care for Transgender Youth
Senate passes anti-transgender healthcare bill, rejecting an amendment that would require the state to fund a crisis hotline.
RALEIGH, NC – Today the North Carolina Senate voted to pass HB808, a bill that would prohibit the initiation of all gender-affirming medical care for transgender people under the age of 18, including puberty blockers, gender-affirming hormone therapy, and surgery.
Opponents of HB808 spoke forcefully against HB808, shining a light on the ways that it will endanger transgender youth and underlining how a lack of access to gender-affirming care has been shown to increase depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. Senator Graig Meyer offered an amendment to HB808 requiring the state to provide funding for a crisis hotline – but it was rejected.
Prior to the vote, supporters of transgender equality joined together for a press conference and rally to speak out against HB808. Speakers from the Campaign for Southern Equality, Equality NC, ACLU of NC, and Planned Parenthood South Atlantic offered comments, as well as a doctor who provides gender-affirming care and a parent of a transgender youth.
Lore Lane (they/them pronouns), Impact Coordinator at the Campaign for Southern Equality, said during the event:
“As someone who relies on gender-affirming care, my heart is breaking and quite frankly, full of righteous anger, watching the NCGA ram through legislation that would block transgender youth from being able to access this care. This care is life-saving. It is life-affirming. It allows people to live authentically and gives us the best chance to thrive. And most importantly, it is our inalienable human right. It is absolutely outrageous that the NCGA would insert themselves into private and personal medical decisions – decisions that should always be left to providers and patients.”
“I hope lawmakers know that passing HB808 won’t stop families from doing what they need to do. It won’t stop trans youth from being trans. And it won't change the fact that our bodies are our own. But it will add immense and completely unnecessary hardship and burden to families who are already up against so much. North Carolina does not need to pass this cruel attack.”
Kendra R. Johnson (she/her/ella pronouns), Executive Director of Equality NC, said:
“HB 808 is a harmful and cruel bill, and seeing the Senate pass it is horrifying. Bills like HB 808, whose movement has been powered by fake news, have a real impact. We know that transgender young people are much more vulnerable to depression, social isolation, self-hatred, risk of self-harm and suicidal behavior without gender affirming care. And we know that the wave of bills like this one around the country have been deeply harmful for young trans people’s mental health. HB 808 is a terrible mistake for our state, and if the House passes it once again we urge Governor Cooper to veto it.”
Earlier this year 630+ medical providers across the state submitted an open letter condemning legislation like HB808 and opposing government overreach in healthcare. They wrote: “As North Carolina health care professionals deeply committed to protecting our patients and preserving the trusting and informed relationship between patient and provider, we adamantly oppose any bans or restrictions on access to and provision of life-saving, gender-affirming care.”
The bill now returns to the NC House.
Learn more about anti-LGBTQ+ legislation being considered in North Carolina by visiting the website for NC is Ready.