Trans kids, parents fight wave of legislation in red states banning gender-affirming care

Transgender kids and their parents say they feel attacked by a wave of Republican-sponsored legislation and policies aimed at trans youth.

Bills have been introduced to ban gender-affirming care and block transgender children from using school restrooms or playing on sports teams that don’t match their sex at birth. Proponents say the measures are about protecting children and preserving the integrity of girls’ sports.

Opponents argue that they target already vulnerable children for the sake of scoring political points.

Ninth grader Harleigh Walker, 15, said “Honestly, I’m a little scared now,” she said Thursday after learning the bill had passed. ”But we’re still going to fight no matter what.”

Alabama is among the states with a Republican-controlled legislature advancing these bills.

Cathryn Oakley, state legislative director and senior counsel for the Human Rights Campaign said, “In one breathtakingly cruel and cowardly day, the Alabama legislature passed the single most anti-transgender legislative package in history.”