Thread by @ErinForYall

I’m still reeling from HB 1399 being voted out of committee hours after our hearing and before the virtual testimony portal was closed.

This bill attacks transgender youth. Brave children stood up and spoke their truths, but the bill was still voted on party lines. #txlege 1/

No matter how many times the proponents say that this bill is about protecting children, it’s not. This bill is about removing options to affirming care that is widely accepted by medical experts because of prejudice and fear of those who are different. 2/

The big lie: “Young children are being castrated.”

The truth: Children (and their families) who identify as transgender or are questioning their gender identity are supported by a multidisciplinary team that helps them navigate age appropriate decisions as a family. 3/

This care saves lives. What does it look like? Every person’s path is different, but here’s a possible one:

Before puberty: Social transition, clothing, name, pronouns

Early teens: Puberty blockers, essentially a pause on biological puberty. If stopped, puberty resumes. 4/

Nothing up to this point is irreversible. The puberty blockers give the child time to mature and make a more long-term decision. Not until the older teens would cross sex hormones be considered, and genital surgery is NOT part of the standard of care until adulthood. 5/

Proponents have used surgery as a scare tactic. Well, I brought an amendment in committee to limit the bill to prohibiting genital surgery on minors.

That amendment failed on party lines. Because this bill is about denying care to trans youth. Full stop. 6/

And also, this bill still explicitly allows genital surgeries on intersex infants! The intersex community has been advocating against this practice.

So we do have minors today being operated on without their consent...and this bill does nothing to change that. 7/

If you claim that trans teens can’t possibly make decisions about their care but defend a special exemption to allow surgeries on intersex infants...

You’re not fighting for informed consent. You’re fighting to force kids into your own idea of the gender binary. 8/

We’re going to fight this bill with everything we have. Texas transkids deserve affirming care from qualified medical professionals.

Fight with us. Please let your elected officials know how you feel. /🧵