Log in

State Legislature

Transgender youth worry for the future following passage of 'health care ban'

Controversial bill prohibits hormone therapy, ‘reassignment’ surgeries for minors

Posted 4/26/22

Transgender youth and advocates in Arizona are concerned for their futures following the passage of a bill outlawing access to gender-affirming health care for people under 18. Dozens of parents, …

You must be a member to read this story.

Join our family of readers for as little as $5 per month and support local, unbiased journalism.


Already have an account? Log in to continue.

Current print subscribers can create a free account by clicking here

Otherwise, follow the link below to join.

To Our Valued Readers –

Visitors to our website will be limited to five stories per month unless they opt to subscribe. The five stories do not include our exclusive content written by our journalists.

For $6.99, less than 20 cents a day, digital subscribers will receive unlimited access to YourValley.net, including exclusive content from our newsroom and access to our Daily Independent e-edition.

Our commitment to balanced, fair reporting and local coverage provides insight and perspective not found anywhere else.

Your financial commitment will help to preserve the kind of honest journalism produced by our reporters and editors. We trust you agree that independent journalism is an essential component of our democracy. Please click here to subscribe.

Sincerely,
Charlene Bisson, Publisher, Independent Newsmedia

Please log in to continue

Log in
I am anchor
State Legislature

Transgender youth worry for the future following passage of 'health care ban'

Controversial bill prohibits hormone therapy, ‘reassignment’ surgeries for minors

Posted

Transgender youth and advocates in Arizona are concerned for their futures following the passage of a bill outlawing access to gender-affirming health care for people under 18.

Dozens of parents, children, and activists attended the Arizona State Capitol ahead of the bill’s passage to oppose SB1138, which prevents minors from accessing hormone therapy and puberty blockers or undergoing what the bill calls “gender reassignment surgery.”

Some of the speakers were as young as 11- and 13-years-old. They shared stories about their journey as trans people and how the ban would prevent them from being able to get the treatments and medication needed for their transition.

Skyler Morrison, 13, stood before the Senate and spoke of her experiences with hormone therapy.

“I know who I am, and I know who I will continue to be,” Morrison said. “This bill is a direct roadblock in my path to becoming comfortable in my own body.”

“I am taking estrogen and ... if the bill were to pass, I wouldn’t be able to and that would eventually lead to me going through male puberty.”

The policy banning hormones won’t go into effect until March of 2023, so minors like Morrison have time to wean off the medications. But opponents of the bill have even more immediate concerns when it comes to the health and safety of people like Morrison, who said she cannot imagine having to go through male puberty.

“I would not be here today, I wouldn’t be alive,” she said.

The bill's supporters say that it’s necessary to prevent trans kids from irreversibly changing their bodies before they come of age.

In a letter written by Gov. Ducey announcing the bill, he said, “The reason is simple, and common sense — this is a decision that will dramatically affect the rest of an individual’s life, including the ability of that individual to become a biological parent later in life.”

Opponents of the bill warn that it will promote discrimination and increase the already high rates of suicide among trans youth.

Paul Bixler is the first transwoman to hold an elected office in the state of Arizona as a school board member in the Liberty School District in Goodyear.

She said that bills like the one signed by Gov. Ducey on March 30 put young trans people and health care professionals at risk.

“You may begin to see a lot more depression out of trans youth and more cases of suicide,” she said. “If a transgender youth decides they want to kill themselves they will more than likely find a way to do it.”

A study conducted by the American Academy of Pediatrics said that 14% of adolescent suicide attempts are from teens who are trans or non-binary. According to the study, 51% of those attempts are from female to male transgender people and 41% are from male to female transgender people.

Bixler said that there are already barriers that make it difficult for transgender youth to access health care and the bill would be another barrier. Bixler said some barriers include insurance, availability, and support from their family, friends and community.

Bixler said that if young people are not able to access the health care services they need, like therapy and hormones, in Arizona because of the ban that they will have to move to states where they can.

“For some trans youth, not being able to get hormones is not an option. Trans boys and girls need to be able to go through puberty as the gender they identify as because once puberty happens it is irreversible,” Bixler said.

Bixler noted that bills similar to the ban in Arizona are sweeping the nation. States like Arkansas and Tennessee have recently passed similar bans. She thinks the negative bills are a reaction to a community that has made strides in a relatively short period of time.

“When I look back on my 70 years of life, this is a good time for trans people,” Bixler said. “We are starting to be visible and we have been successful and that is why I think we are being targeted.”

Anastasia Smith is a journalism student at ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.