Protect Transgender Youth in Ohio
Ohio State Representatives Gary Click and Diane Grendell have proposed a bill, H.B. 454 which would ban gender-affirming healthcare for transgender youth. H.B. 454 is yet another proposal in a slew of transphobic legislation directed towards children in 2021. This bill has significant implications not just for transgender youth in Ohio, but for transgender people across the United States. It aims to pathologize transgender people, especially transgender youth, and limit their ability to access appropriate physical and mental health care. Click here to read the bill.
Pushing back against hateful and harmful legislation such as H.B. 454 requires action from a community. This needs to come from trans folks and allies alike. If you feel safe doing so, please personalize and send the following template letter to Representatives Click and Grendell. You can make it as simple or as personal as you like. We need you to help protect transgender youth in Ohio and across the US.
Dear [Representative Click/Representative Grendell],
I am a [transgender person/loved one of a transgender person], and I implore you to repeal H.B. 454. As [transgender people/loved ones of transgender people], we often fear for the lives of our family members, our friends, and ourselves not because transgender people receive gender-affirming care, but because [they/we] are not supported in [their/our] attempts to receive it.
When transgender people are not supported and affirmed in their understanding of self, this can lead to significant mental health challenges and discrimination-related trauma. This is especially true for transgender youth, who may rely on their families or guardians for financial support, emotional support, or both. The mental health challenges mentioned in your bill are usually the result of a lack of support rather than an inherent mental illness because the person is transgender.
[You can include a personal anecdote here, or an explanation of why gender-affirming healthcare is important to you. Or, feel free to leave it blank.]
Transgender children have too often been used as political pawns in recent years. Data from The Trevor Project’s 2021 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health indicates that the mental health of 94% of LGBTQ+ youth has been negatively impacted by politics, especially by anti-LGBTQ+ bills such as H.B. 454. This data also indicates that 75% of LGBTQ+ youth have experienced discrimination based on their gender identity or sexual orientation at least once. These children are not being protected. They are being actively harmed by anti-LGBTQ+ legislation.
The language in H.B. 454 suggests that you care about the well-being of children. However, by introducing this bill, harm has already been done to transgender, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming youth not just in Ohio, but across the United States. If you genuinely care about the health and well-being of transgender and gender-diverse youth, please repeal this bill immediately.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
[Name]
[Personal Pronouns (optional)]
Contact Info:
Rep. Gary Click: https://ohiohouse.gov/members/gary-click/contact
Rep. Diane Grendell: https://ohiohouse.gov/members/diane-v-grendell/contact