In the first week of 2022, officials in at least seven states have already proposed laws that would limit the rights of transgender and non-binary youth, The Hill reported.
Legislators in Arizona, Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, Oklahoma, New Hampshire and South Dakota have introduced at least nine bills that would curb trans and non-binary youths' access to things such as school sports and restrooms as well as gender-affirming care.
For example, The Washington Blade noted that Republican state Sen. Wendy Rogers, an outspoken supporter of Donald Trump and a member of the Oath Keepers, has proposed two laws that would have the potential to inflict considerable harm on young transgender Arizonans and the medical professionals who treat them. Rogers' first measure, Senate Bill 1045, would prohibit medical procedures that affirm the gender identity of children and teens who are transgender; the second, Senate Bill 1046, would restrict transgender children from participating in sports at public and private schools, community colleges and universities.
"It is January which means states will be starting legislative sessions soon and we will again see gratuitous attacks on trans people, particularly trans youth," ACLU Deputy Director for Transgender Justice Chase Strangio tweeted. Other trans advocates say they are preparing for another year full of proposed anti-LGBTQ+ legislation.
During the 2021 legislative session, lawmakers in 21 states introduced legislation to ban gender-affirming medical care for trans youth, putting more than 45,000 transgender minors at risk of being denied critical care, according to the Williams Institute.
