Michigan House and Senate Members Use Junk Science Manufactured by Trump Administration to Undermine Transgender Youth Healthcare

DETROIT – The ACLU of Michigan opposes the dangerous proposed legislation by some Michigan politicians to undermine lifesaving healthcare for transgender youth. The proposed legislation introduced by Sen. Thomas Albert and Rep. Brad Paquette would end gender affirming care for young transgender people and prevent families from making these medically necessary and lifesaving healthcare decisions for their children in consultation with their medical providers. The legislation is based on a new report with author name that the Trump administration released last week, which every major medical association, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, criticized, calling it “alarming.”

The overarching theme of the Trump regime is to attempt to strip people in our country of their humanity. In this case. our state legislature is doing the administration's bidding by attempting to deny essential health care for transgender youth and force conversion therapy as the only alternative, which is dangerous and has long been discredited. Young transgender people already undergo counseling as part of a careful, extensive process of evaluation, assessment, and care. It’s a requirement under medical standards.

For decades, all major medical associations have recognized medical care as the only safe and effective treatment for gender dysphoria. Families of transgender youth need to be able to ensure their child can get the medical care they need without politicians trying to take the science out of health care.

Not only is this proposed legislation dangerous and divisive, it is also discriminatory as it violates the Michigan Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act, which explicitly protects people from gender discrimination, including transgender people.

We call on all state lawmakers to oppose this dangerous legislation that is intended to demonize difference, attack the rights of some to terrorize us all, and deny and erase the existence of transgender people.

###