Trans adults stripped of healthcare access sue South Carolina over GOP bill: 'I'm desperate'Plaintiffs in complaint says 'it's hard to see a future' after bill blocked care for trans youth and adults in May
Link to Full ArticleThe Guardian - Sam Levin in Los Angeles
Thu 29 Aug 2024 16.29 EDT
Transgender residents of South Carolina have sued the state over its ban on their healthcare, challenging one of the most restrictive anti-trans laws in the nation, which has stripped youth and adults of access to critical medical treatments.
The complaint filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on Thursday challenges a bill enacted by Republicans in May, which prohibited gender-affirming treatments for trans youth under 18 and banned public funds from being used for all trans healthcare.
The law prompted the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), the state's only public, statewide hospital system, to cancel gender-affirming treatment for youth and adults in July. LGBTQ+ rights advocates said the abrupt loss of care illustrated how the Republican party's attacks on trans rights under the guise of "protecting children" were also interfering with trans adults' private medical decisions.
South Carolina is one of 26 GOP-controlled states that have adopted prohibitions on trans healthcare, part of a wave of anti-LGBTQ+ laws seeking to restrict sports participation, bathroom use, students' rights and queer literature and culture.----------
