Gender affirming healthcare has been under fierce debate in recent years.
Republican Congressman Tom Tiffany of Minocqua co-sponsored a resolution to restrict federal funds from being used for certain gender transition procedures for minors.
In 2023, more than 400 bills targeting transgender rights were introduced in the US- that’s higher than the combined number of bills presented over the past four years.
Bans on gender-affirming care for minors have passedin several states.
Democratic Governor Tony Evers has vowed to veto any in Wisconsin.
Republican Congressman Tom Tiffany of Minocqua cosponsoreda resolution to block federal funds from being used for certain gender-affirming procedures for minors.
“You have many people across the country who have objections to this. They believe you cannot change your sex that that is set at birth. So why should their taxpayer dollars be used for something like that when they have a basic philosophical, political and moral objection? And that's the purpose of the bill,” said Tiffany.
“We're hearing numerous stories now, of young people who went through the changing of their sex, and later in adulthood, they wish this would not have happened. They're now sterile, cannot have children,” said Tiffany.
Guidelines require patients to go through extensive psychological counseling to confirm gender dysphoria before any treatments.
Detransitioning is pretty uncommon.
A 2021 review of 27 studies of over 8,000 mostly European transgender teens and adults found that only 1% regretted, at least temporarily, their transition surgeries.
Emil Rudicell is a Project Coordinator for FORGE in Wisconsin, a national transgender-led anti-violence organization.
“It is rare that somebody says a young person is too young to know that they're straight or know that they're cisgender, which is a way to say that they're not transgender. So, you know, they're not too young to know those things, then they’re not too young to know that they’re trans,” said Rudicell.
They point out how many transgender children currently depend on federal funding for their healthcare through Medicaid programs or other federally subsidized healthcare programs.
“You're saying that people who can afford private health care can get one level of care, and people who can't afford that care are getting, not the care that they should be getting? And that's absolutely unfair and unethical,” said Rudicell.
Rudicell reflected on bans on gender-affirming care in general and highlighted the mental health impact they have on transgender children.
“What I can say is that these bills, whether they pass or not, they create a lot of fear and anxiety, and stress and trauma within trans and non-binary communities, as well as for service providers,” they said.
For now, the bill has 49 exclusively Republican cosponsors.
