The right to live safely and authentically as a transgender American has come under attack by Republicans. When we hear state legislatures are being flooded with an all-time high number of anti-trans bills, it might still be difficult for many to wrap their heads around just how many bills are in the works. As you can see from the list below, the number of currently active bills is staggering.
The best way to combat the transphobic legislation being written up across red states is to understand it, know where it is, and vote against it. Here’s a list of major actions in red and swing states.
For more information on how to support transgender Americans, visit transequality.org.
Alabama
AL HB354; would prohibit instruction relating to gender identity/sexuality in public schools.
AL SB211; would prohibit athletes from competing in men’s/women’s sports based on assigned sex at birth, and would prohibit adverse action against institutions complying with the act.
Alaska
AK HB105; would require parents to sign off on pronouns teachers are permitted to use with their children.
AK HB27; would require schools to designate every sport offered as “male, men, or boys” team sport; “female, women, or girls” team sport; or “coeducational or mixed” team or sport. Participants in the female category may only participate after proving their sex assigned at birth.
Arizona
AZ HB2711; would require that employees of school districts disclose information relating to a student’s gender, gender identity, sexuality, or pronouns to parents within 48 hours of learning the information.
AZ HB1702; would ban gender-affirming medical care, including surgical procedures and hormone therapy, for minors.
Florida
FL H1421; would prohibit gender-affirming care for minors, ban sex from being changed on birth certificates, and prohibit insurance from covering gender-affirming care.
FL S1320; would prohibit requiring public school employees to call individuals by correct pronouns, and prohibit classroom instruction on gender and sexuality until 9th grade.
FL S1674; would create a charge of trespassing for anyone using public male or female-designated bathrooms found not to have the sex assigned at birth corresponding to that bathroom.
Indiana
IN HB1120; would prohibit gender-affirming care, including hormone blockers, for minors and establishes civil enforcement actions.
IN HB1231; would prohibit public funds, Medicaid, or health carriers from covering gender-affirming care for minors.
IN HB1232; would prohibit child services from removing a child from parents’ care on the basis of the parents not allowing the child to receive gender-affirming care, referring to the child by their assigned pronouns at birth, or refusing to provide the child with counseling or other mental health services if those services are intended to affirm the child’s identity (if inconsistent with assigned pronouns at birth).
IN HB1346; would provide that a school may not compel employees to refer to students by any particular pronouns, names, or titles that the student requests.
IN HB1520; would create a Class B misdemeanor for a person assigned male at birth to use a women’s restroom or for a person assigned female at birth to use a men’s restroom.
IN HB1524; would provide that details on an individual’s birth certificate, including gender markers, may not be changed.
IN SB0354; would require that a public school notify parents if the minor student discloses details of their gender to school employees or requests to change their name, pronouns, gender expression, or title inconsistent with their sex assigned at birth while at school.
IN SB413; would prohibit schools from providing education pertaining to sexual orientation or gender identity through grade 12; would require a school to inform all parents of all students if the school permits a student to use a restroom not designated for their sex assigned at birth and establishes a grievance procedure for parents who object to the school’s permission of said restroom use.
IN SB0487; would provide that the Department of Correction assigns offenders to men’s or women’s facilities based on their sex assigned at birth rather than their gender identity.
Iowa
IA HF190; would remove “gender identity” as a protected class under various state laws, including employment.
IA HF290; would prohibit the use of gender or sex markers different from those listed on an individual’s birth certificate on any application, form, list, license, or other document.
IA HF482; would require elementary and secondary public schools to designate restrooms by sex assigned at birth and only permit members of those sexes to use their designated restrooms.
IA HF508; would provide that no state institution is required to recognize same-sex marriages and there is no legal recourse for same-sex couples whose marriage is not recognized. The bill defines marriage as being between “one male and female,” meaning opposite-gender marriages involving a trans person would be subject to discrimination.
IA HF616; would prohibit higher education institutions from using state money to fund diversity or inclusion offices or hire individuals to serve as inclusion officers; would create a private cause of action against institutions that do so.
IA HF620; would prohibit schools from taking disciplinary action against employees who do not use the names, titles, or pronouns requested by students in official communications. Would provide civil penalties for schools that take disciplinary action.
IA HF623; would prohibit certain gender-affirming care for minors.
IA SB110; would provide that no medical practitioner is required to perform any gender-affirming care, and that any practitioner who does so is ineligible to receive funding from the Department of Health and Human Services.
IA SF129; would create a cause of action against medical professionals who provide gender-affirming care to minors, would make it unlawful for medical professionals to perform gender-affirming procedures on minors with certain exceptions; would require that government entities inform parents of information about their child’s gender identity.
IA SF159; would prohibit schools from providing instruction relating to gender identity or sexual orientation from kindergarten to grade eight.
IA SF348; would prohibit minors from attending drag shows and create penalties for adults who knowingly bring minors to drag shows; would create penalties for businesses that host drag shows where a minor is present.
Kansas
KS HB2427; would stipulate that students having at least one “Y” chromosome shall be considered male, all others considered female.
KS SB12; would prohibit gender reassignment surgery for individuals under the age of 21, and would create grounds for legal action against medical professionals who provide such services.
KS SB149; would classify drag performances as obscene material when shown to minors, would define “drag performance” as a performance in which one or more individuals exhibit gender expression other than their assigned gender at birth and where such individual(s) lip sync, dance, or sing.
KS SB201; would prohibit the use of state money for support of drag shows; would provide criminal penalties for violations.
KS SB207; would require parental consent for use of a student’s preferred pronouns at school; would allow school employees to refuse to use students’ pronouns over moral or religious objections.
Michigan
MI HB4195; would require that schools provide distinct restrooms and changing areas based on sex assigned at birth.
MI HB4257; would categorize parental assistance with gender-affirming care as child abuse.
MI HB4539; would create causes of action and sentencing guidelines for individuals providing gender-affirming care to minors.
MI HB4540; would prohibit gender-affirming care to minors.
MI HB4546; would require awards, rankings, and records of outcomes in sporting events to be categorized by participants’ sex assigned at birth (i.e., AFABs competing in male divisions would be ranked in female divisions despite competing with males).
Minnesota
MN HF1086; would provide that school sports are separated based on sex assigned at birth.
MN HF1903; would categorize drag performances as adult entertainment; would prohibit minors from viewing drag shows.
MN HF3022; would prohibit instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity from kindergarten through grade four.
MN HF3264; would create criminal penalties for healthcare providers providing gender-affirming care to minors.
MN HF551; would prohibit anyone not assigned female at birth from participating in women’s or girls sports and would require a physician’s statement indicating the sex of students seeking to participate, which would call for an examination of the student’s reproductive organs, their naturally-occurring levels of testosterone, and an analysis of their chromosomes.
MN HF311; would restrict multi-person restroom usage in schools based on sex assigned at birth.
Missouri
MO HB1258; would prohibit school employees from referring to students by pronouns other than those assigned to them at birth absent permission from a student’s parents; would allow school employees to refuse to refer to students using their preferred pronouns based on said employee’s personal beliefs.
MO HB1364; would make engaging in adult cabaret performances and drag queen story hours a criminal offense.
MO HB137; would require schools to notify parents of any instruction relating to human sexuality or gender identity and give parents the option of withdrawing their child from class for this type of instruction.
MO HB170; would require that school sports are divided into categories of “males, men, or boys;” “females, women, or girls;” or “Coed or mixed.” Male and female divisions would be strictly limited to the sex assigned at birth.
MO HB463; would prohibit medical professionals from providing gender-affirming care to minors, and would classify a parent’s assistance in providing their child with gender-affirming care as child abuse.
MO SB14; would limit changes to birth certificates only to medically-necessary sex changes due to a “medically-verifiable disorder of sex development.”
MO SB497; would prohibit schools from providing instruction on gender identity or gender reassignment.
MO SB693; would create the offense of engaging in adult cabaret performances.
Montana
MT SB413; would prohibit schools from providing instruction on gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, or sexual relationships to any student.
MT SB337; would allow parents to withdraw their child from school instruction on human sexuality.
Nebraska
NE LB371; would prohibit individuals under the age of 21 from attending drag shows.
NE LB575; would separate school sports based on biology and chromosomes.
NE LB810; would allow a medical practitioner to refuse to provide gender-affirming care based on personal ethical beliefs.
North Carolina
NC H43; would prohibit gender-affirming care for minors.
NC H673; would prohibit drag performances on public property or in the presence of a minor.
North Dakota
ND HB1301; would prohibit gender-affirming care for minors and establish a penalty for medical practitioners who provide such care.
Ohio
OH HB183; would sharply distinguish between male and female restrooms and prohibit use of one or the other by the opposite sex (as assigned at birth), regardless of an individual’s gender identity.
OH HB245; would prohibit drag shows.
OH HB6; would create male and female sports divisions, prohibit other sexes from participating in each.
Oklahoma
OK HB1011; would prohibit gender-affirming care for individuals under the age of 21, would prohibit Medicaid coverage for such care, would create a felony offense for violations.
OK HB2186; would ban drag performances on public property where a minor might be present, would prohibit drag queen story hours with minor children present.
OK SB1007; would require schools to designate sports teams based on sex assigned at birth.
OK SB250; would prohibit the use of public funds to support gender-affirming care.
OK SB30; prohibits school employees from referring to a student by any name, title, or pronoun other than what is on their birth certificate without consent of the parent, would limit instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in schools.
OK SB614; would prohibit gender-affirming care for minors.
OK SB937; would prohibit a student’s use of preferred pronouns absent parental consent; would prohibit drag queen story hour in schools; would allow a physical exam of any student whose assigned sex at birth is in dispute (including an examination of reproductive organs).
Pennsylvania
PA HB216; would require schools to designate every sport offered as “male, men, or boys” team sport; “female, women, or girls” team sport; or “coeducational or mixed” team or sport. Participants in the female category may only participate after proving their sex assigned at birth.
South Carolina
SC H3197; would allow parents to remove their children from class when instruction pertains to gender or sexual orientation.
SC H3551; would prohibit gender-affirming care for minors.
SC H3611; would allow businesses to discriminate against same-sex couples.
SC H3616; would prohibit minors from attending drag shows and classify drag shows as sexually-oriented entertainment.
SC H3730; would prohibit healthcare professionals from providing gender-affirming care to individuals under age 26 and would prohibit public funds from supporting such care.
SC H4290; would prohibit requiring higher education institutions from mandating diversity training.
SC S0276; would mandate that a person’s assigned sex at birth, as it is written on their birth certificate, constitutes that person’s gender insofar as it is necessary to interpret their rights under the Constitution.
SC S0364; would mandate that gender markers on birth certificates may only be changed after an individual has undergone sex change surgery and receives a signed note from their physician confirming the procedure.
Tennessee
TN HB1215; would prohibit care organizations affiliated with TennCare from providing gender-affirming care.
TN HB1378; would prohibit gender-affirming care for minors.
TN HB1414; would require a parent’s consent before a child may receive instruction on gender identity, sexual orientation, gender roles, or gender expression.
Texas
TX HB1029; would prohibit taxpayer resources from funding gender-affirming care.
TX HB1541; would allow parents to remove their children from class during instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation.
TX HB1952; would prohibit minors from changing the sex marker on their birth certificate.
TX HB2116; would require an individual seeking gender-affirming care to undergo a psychological evaluation before receiving such care.
TX HB23; would divide school athletics into male and female categories and prohibit students of the opposite sex from participating in either; would require proof of a child’s reproductive organs if the sex assigned at the birth of the child was in question.
TX HB2659; would protect public school employees who do not wish to participate in diversity training.
TX HB2722; would mandate that school bathrooms be separated based on sex assigned at birth, regardless of a student’s gender identity.
TX HB2862; would mandate that inmates be separated by sex assigned at birth, regardless of gender identity.
TX HB3082; would protect pharmacists who refuse to provide a drug or medication that is inconsistent with their personal beliefs.
TX HB4378; would prohibit drag performances in the presence of a minor.
TX SB1443; would ban materials in school libraries containing same-sex relationships.
TX SB1690; would permit a court to appoint someone other than a child’s parent as the child’s conservator if the parent were to take the child out of the state for purposes of receiving gender-affirming care.
Wisconsin
WI SB4; would prohibit social workers and licensed counselors from providing resources for LGBTQIA+ clients.
(featured image: Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Published: Aug 13, 2023 05:56 pm