Ohio’s Latest Anti-Trans Bill: Why We Should Fight Against HB454 and Protect Trans Youth
I attempt to stay informed on the anti-trans legislation sweeping the country, especially in the state of Ohio where I currently reside. So imagine the emotional rollercoaster of viewing a hearing on an anti-trans bill, and suddenly your own mother shows up to testify against trans people under a fake name.
I was born and raised in Ohio, and I have been out publicly as transgender for about eight years. One of the less mentioned bills trying to pass through the Ohio House right now is House Bill 454. In comparison to the Ohio “Don’t Say Gay” HB 616, HB 454 has gathered much less attention in the media. Considering how it aims to completely erase any kind of gender affirming health for youth, it is concerning that so many people are unaware of the bill. Here is why you need to know about it, which includes my personal experience in response to my estranged mother taking part in a hearing.
I first found out about HB 454 through a friend who tracks anti-trans bills around the country. HB 454, or the “SAFE Act” stands for “Save Adolescents From Experimentation,” and it intends to erase the entirety of transitional and gender affirming healthcare and psychological safety for all trans adolescents in Ohio. The language in this bill is eerily similar to anti-trans bills that have passed in other states, with some of the wording directly copied. It mentions healthcare protocols and situations that have never occurred in relation to trans-affirming care in Ohio, such as performing genital surgery on minors, sterilizing minors, and the providing of hormone blockers to children without psychological evaluation or permission from a legal guardian.
The bill explicitly forces psychologists, school nurses, teachers, principals, or other officials in any setting to reveal a minor’s gender identity or questioning to an unsupportive parent. Medical healthcare professionals will no longer be able to legally provide affirmative care to transgender, non-binary, gender non-conforming (GNC) people under 18, and there may or may not be an exception for individuals who are intersex. Current and future plans of care involving medical and psychological services specifically for these adolescents will be halted and additionally no longer covered by state insurance. The proponents of this bill want to halt any existing gender affirming healthcare for youth completely, and endanger them using this framework of lies and false narratives.
So far there has only been ONE public hearing opposing Ohio’s HB 454, and THREE public hearings in favor of the bill. The latest and only opposing hearing for HB454 so far, was a group of qualified medical healthcare professionals who specialize in adolescent care. Members of the Families, Aging, and Human Services House Committee had plenty of questions for them about the far-reaching claims in the bill.
Their questions were answered thoroughly by professionals, presenting data collected from various hospitals proving that healthcare for transgender adolescents saves lives, and prevents harm. They also confirmed that no surgeries were performed on minors under their care and that it wouldn’t even be possible to intervene without permission of a parent or guardian. Despite the efforts from medical specialists in the room at the latest hearing, the anti-trans speakers at the previous hearings had much more time to talk.
My initial interest in wanting to stay informed on one of the previous HB 454 hearings turned to complete shock when I tuned in to the second proponent hearing.
My anti-trans mother, under the fake name “Maria Polaris,” stepped up to the podium to tell a story to the House committee about how I was coerced by my school psychologists and healthcare providers to come out as trans and leave my family. This could not be further from the truth.
At some point, “Maria” had been convinced that my boundary to no longer engage with her was just a form of indoctrination into a so-called imaginary “trans cult”. I could feel my heart sinking from every word she spoke in that room. Her thirty-minute narrative barely made sense, but she had no hesitation to say the most negative things about me and other trans people in her speech.
It made me sick that an anti-trans lawmaker in the room was more than happy to affirm her with rehearsed questions. There is no doubt that she had been collaborating with, and was coached by this committee member beforehand. I am still heartbroken and embarrassed by this emotionally heavy act of violence. It is no question that the supporters of anti-trans bills like HB 454 are more than happy to recruit parents who have already rejected their transgender, non-binary, GNC, or intersex children.
Fearing rejection, I did not tell my healthcare providers that I was trans until I was 19. My parents were never supportive, and they tried to convince me that I should be 25 before I made any major medical decisions involving hormones or surgery. I am 26 now and do not regret any of my healthcare decisions.
The irony is that the only medical procedure I regret was one that my parents made: a medically unnecessary foot surgery with a low long-term success rate that I did not have the knowledge to consent to. Yet why is the gender affirming medical care that I never had as a minor, so controversial?
It is possible that their frustration comes from the therapists who supported me as a minor. Although I openly questioned my gender identity in therapy, none of my therapists fully explored the topic of medical gender affirming care with me until I was over 18. None of my therapists had experience with gender-questioning youth, but they listened as I struggled to find any kind of familial support for my mental health. I was lucky to have confidentiality in therapy, it saved my life.
If this bill were passed while I was under 18, my therapists may have been forced to share aspects about me that I feared my parents finding out about. Without their confidential support, my story may have ended differently. It is sad to be the age I am now, knowing that those fears I had as a minor were truly justified.
We do not want a future where transgender, non-binary, GNC, and intersex youth fear disclosing their concerns to therapists or medical providers who have the ability to help them. In cases where families fully support their children, these families should not have to flee the state for better healthcare. Decisions against gender affirming healthcare should not be made without looking at facts or current data, without input from licensed medical professionals, or without consideration of families and individuals who have NO negative experiences with gender affirming care.
A vote for Ohio’s HB 454 could be on the horizon, and it could be sooner than expected. As of now, an opposition hearing for HB 454 will be taking place in the Ohio Statehouse, Room 122 this Wednesday, on November 16th from 10:00AM-12:00PM. Anyone can attend and be in the room to support the testimonials against this bill. Although the proponents of the bill had much more time to speak, opponents will have five minutes each to testify, over the span of two hours.
If you are unable to show up in person to the Ohio Statehouse, you can submit an email testimony to the Families, Aging, and Human Services Committee. You can send a written email testimony against HB 454 to familiesaging&humanservicescommittee@ohiohouse.gov. (I know, that’s a long email)! To be safe, it may be helpful to fill out a witness form, which can be attached to your email as a PDF. The deadline to submit a written testimony is Tuesday, November 15th by 10:00AM.
With enough opposition, a vote in the House could be delayed, and opponents of the bill could be given more time to speak. HB 454 supporters do not want another hearing from opponents, but this could change if we there is more opposition than expected.
If we don’t show up to protect healthcare and safety for trans, non-binary, GNC, and intersex youth now, it will only get worse. The future for all people seeking gender-affirming care in Ohio is in danger with this bill in the House. Keep others informed. Make a post about it. Offer support if you are capable. Continue loving the trans people in your life. I hope that you too, will fight for our joy.
