March 31 is International Transgender Day of Visibility, a day to celebrate the lives and successes of transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) people and communities. However, there can be no celebration of visibility without the defense of trans lives. 2021 is a record year for anti-transgender legislation, with 174 anti-LGBTQ bills so far under consideration in state legislatures across the country. Over half of them are aimed specifically at trans and gender non-conforming (TGNC) people. This legislative assault follows a record-year of violence against TGNC people, most frequently against Black trans women.
The situation is especially distressing in Arkansas, where the governor signed into law Senate Bill 354, an anti-transgender bill that bans transgender women and girls from participating in sports, and may sign House Bill 1570, which would prohibit doctors from providing medically necessary health care for transgender teenagers. This would block young people from essential care, and take away parents' rights to make decisions about their children's care—this even bars public health insurance coverage for trans people of ANY AGE. This is the first bill of its kind and is life-threatening—denying gender-affirming care has been shown to contribute to depression, social isolation, self-hatred, suicidal ideation, and more.
In Alabama, state lawmakers are considering House Bill 1 and Senate Bill 10, which if passed would be the most sweeping attack on trans youth in history. These laws would make it a felony to treat trans youth up to age 19 and forcibly out trans and gender expansive youth to their parents.
PLEASE TAKE ACTION: