‘I deserve a body to feel proud of.’ Crowds rally for transgender health care at Utah Capitol The Salt Lake Tribune https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2023/01/25/i-deserve-body-feel-proud-crowds/By Emily Anderson Stern
and Palak Jayswal
Jan. 25, 2023, 4:40 a.m.
Updated: 6:07 a.m
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Lawmakers in a Utah House committee soundly rejected a bill that would have penalized doctors for giving gender-affirming health care to minors, then moments later approved legislation that included similar restrictions on transgender health care — minus the punishment — on party line during a lengthy committee meeting Tuesday.
In its current version, it intends to clamp down on doctors’ ability to prescribe hormone therapy to minors and would prohibit transgender-related body-altering surgeries on minors. It would also ask the Department of Health and Human Services to “conduct a systematic review of medical evidence” surrounding hormone treatments for transgender youth.
Because the rally was held during the school day, many parents of transgender children came out to support their kids. One mom — who identified herself by her first name, Laurel, to protect her child’s privacy — told The Salt Lake Tribune that “today is a day when we are fighting for our child’s lives and that’s really what it comes down to. We don’t want them to feel like they are less than or other in any way.”
