1. United States
2. Pa.
3. Letter

I'm writing to urge you to oppose any and all anti-transgender legislation including the bills restricting gender-affirming care for trans youth, banning trans athletes from participating in sports based on their gender, or preventing transgender people from seeking support as they see fit. Experts agree that the only treatment—the gold standard treatment—for gender dysphoria is gender-affirming care. The exact same care that is offered to cisgender individuals. Why are we legislating away the ability to drop suicide rates in the trans community by 70%? Imagine passing laws against, say, cancer treatment because legislators don’t believe cancer should exist. These decisions should be left to patients and their physicians, and the party of small government needs to get the hell out of the way. PA HB138 seeks to fix a problem that does not exist; detransition rates are astronomically low. Carving out protections for those who refuse to use a trans person’s pronouns is disrespectful, unkind and based on what I have learned from the trans community, violent. PA HB2155, PA HB2156, PA HB2157, PA HB2158, and PA HB216 should not be supported in Pennsylvania or anywhere else. And refusal to support one’s trans minor child should absolutely be considered when awarding custody. The psychological damage that can be done by non-supportive parents is huge. Trans people just want to be left alone. Quit using our state legislature to literally bully people who are different from you. Thank you for your consideration and your service to the people of Pennsylvania.