- The Alabama legislature has passed legislation banning transgender youth from access to sex reassignment drugs.
- The law now goes to the Republican governor of Alabama. Among other things, the new law would ban hormone treatment or sex reassignment surgery on minors and punish them with up to 10 years.
- A bill was signed in the state of Arizona last week that would ban gender reassignment surgery on minors.
The bills will now go to Republican Gov. Kay Ivey for consideration. Alabama is led by a Republican majority and seeks laws and policies targeting transgender youth. Ivey, who is running for re-election, has not yet said she will sign the measures.
The House of Representatives voted 66 to 28, mostly along party lines, to finally pass legislation that would make it a criminal offense for a doctor to prescribe puberty blockers or hormones or perform surgery to have people undergo sex reassignment surgery 19 years to support. Violators would be punished with up to 10 years in prison.
Legend:
Rep. Neil Rafferty was the only outed member of the Alabama legislature to campaign vehemently against the bill.
key stone
The bill also requires school counselors and health workers to inform parents if a child reveals that they believe they are transgender. The Alabama wording would ban “teaching or discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity” for students in kindergarten through fifth grade. The Alabama proposal goes further than Florida law, which does not include as many grade levels.