South Carolina lawmakers in the House of Representatives voted 82-23 in favor of H.4624 a bill that bans medically necessary healthcare for transgender youth under the age of 18 in South Carolina. The bill also prevents public funds from being used to cover the cost of transition-related healthcare for youth & adults & encourages the “outing” of transgender youth by teachers & school staff. The bill now heads to the Senate. Rhys Chambers SC United for Justice & Equality & HRC stated, “The House voted to advance the cruel H.4624 even after emotional testimony in opposition from nearly 50 South Carolinians, the condemnation of every major medical group in the country & many SC doctors & thousands of emails sent from every corner of South Carolina. This ban will cause so much anguish, chaos & confusion for trans youth, their family members & their loved ones, all while the legality of these bans is being adjudicated in many other states. There is no reason to pass this bill & it is imperative that the Senate now reject it.” An estimated 3,700 transgender youth under 18 live in South Carolina so that this bill is targeting less than 0.07% of the state’s population & not every trans youth is accessing this medical care. This just adds to the surge of anti-transgender legislation that has passed all over the country in the past two years. FYI, until 2021 no states had laws that banned transgender youth from accessing this healthcare. SC United for Justice & Equality envisions a South Carolina where everyone can thrive, with a focus on the lived & legal equality of LGBTQ people. For More Info…
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