A December 23, 2023 ABC News article attempts to portray efforts of state legislators to implement appropriate legislation outlawing ridiculous and dangerous “LGBTQ+” agendas as somehow being harmful in itself.
The article explains that a “record number of anti-LGBTQ legislation was filed in 2023,” where “The ACLU recorded at least 508 bills targeting the community in 2023.”
First it discusses efforts of state legislators to introduce legislation meant to protect children from being given puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and sex change surgeries, where it calls the legislation being an “assault” and an “acute threat to [their] liberty and well-being,” and it ridiculously refers to the sex-change treatments as being “gender-affirming care for minors.”
The article quotes an ACLU official Gillian Branstetter who said, “We’ve also witnessed incredible moments of strength in states and communities across the country who have made sure this political assault does not go unnoticed or is made any easier for politicians opposed to our very existence. .. For transgender people and our families across the country, 2023 was a devastating year of attacks on our safety, our dignity, and our freedom.”
The article does mention the following: “Supporters of these laws believe that gender transitioning is harmful to youth and young adults. Some say patients should wait until they are older to make this kind of health decision.”
… However it then says, “Major national medical associations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and over 20 more agree that gender-affirming care is safe, effective, beneficial, and medically necessary,” and “Gender-affirming hormone therapy has been proven to improve the mental health of transgender adolescents and teenagers, according to a recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine.”— All of which are insane facts themselves.
The article goes on to state the following:
At least 14 laws impacting the LGBTQ community – including restrictions on drag performances, LGBTQ content in schools and gender-affirming care – are in the midst of court battles.
Even as the year comes to an end, some of these legislative efforts continue to trudge their way forward.
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In Wisconsin, the legislature is considering legislation restricting transgender participation in sports. However, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers has vowed to combat legislation he considers harmful to the LGBTQ community. He previously vetoed a bill that would outlaw gender-affirming care for minors.
However, several states have instead passed protections for the LGBTQ community this year, including Minnesota, Michigan, New York, and California.
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New protections included historic civil rights amendments protecting LGBTQ+ people, bans on conversion therapy, cultural competency programs in schools, and more.