South Carolina Democrat introduces bill to ban transgender surgery/hormones for minors

[Alben Barkley]

https://apnews.com/article/bills-south-carolina-258ee58ac76a240b029feb19063f59c0

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Twenty-three South Carolina Republicans have signed onto a measure aimed at blocking hormonal treatments for transgender youth. But the bill’s chief sponsor is a Democrat, prompting intense scrutiny from within his own party.

Last week, lawmakers introduced the ” South Carolina Vulnerable Child Compassion and Protection Act,” aimed at prohibiting minors from undergoing sex-reassignment procedures. The measure would bar doctors from prescribing medication or performing procedures to alter gender or delay puberty for anyone under age 18, with felony charges possible for doctors who violate the law.

Its primary sponsor is state Rep. Cezar McKnight, who since 2015 has represented South Carolina’s 101st House District, a largely rural, heavily Democratic area where two-thirds of residents are Black. McKnight, a member of the Legislative Black Caucus, said he’s received an outpouring of support from his constituents, who have told him that, while they don’t necessarily oppose this type of procedure on its face, they think that it is one that should only be made when a person has reached adulthood.

“Black Democrats tend to be more conservative than white progressives,” McKnight told The Associated Press in a recent interview. “I would not have ever put this bill forward if I didn’t think the people in my district wouldn’t be receptive, and they are. Pastors, young parents, older parents, they all tell me the same thing: if you want to do this, wait until you’re 18.”

https://twitter.com/cezarmcknight/status/1370050247108526082?s=21

https://twitter.com/cezarmcknight/status/1372532814634221572?s=21

Once again, the white wokesters seem to be at odds with the black Democrats who are the core voters of the party and are largely pragmatic, sensible people. As well as the “silent majority” of people in general I think. It SHOULDN’T be so outrageous to say you think people shouldn’t be allowed to irreversibly alter their bodies before they can legally vote, smoke, drink, marry, etc. but here we are.

[RFayette 🇻🇦]

Fantastic bill.  Hope every state passes similar legislation.

[brucejoel99]

I'm sorry (not sorry), but supporters of this legislation who are motivated by an ignorant belief that trans kids are undergoing physically-altering surgeries or taking a litany of dangerous medications that'll have irreversible negative repercussions on their physical & mental health have no idea what the hell they're talking about when it comes to transgender health-care. Don't believe me? Well, let's ask actual pediatricians who provide care for trans kids:

A lot of scaremongering about health care for trans kids falsely suggests that doctors push kids into making permanent changes to their bodies. Every pediatrician who spoke with Live Science for this story emphasized that this isn't true and that they don't know of any doctors who would do that. Kids who haven't yet reached the stage of puberty in which physical changes begin don't receive medication of any kind, [Dr. Andrew] Cronyn said.

For kids who want them, those treatments don't begin until puberty begins in earnest. And the first stage of treatment isn't hormones. Instead, doctors prescribe kids puberty blockers, which can safely put those changes on "pause." That's the standard of care endorsed by both the Pediatric Endocrine Society (PES) and the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH). (A representative for the American Academy of Pediatrics told Live Science that it has an official policy statement on the subject in the works, which it will publish later this year.)

There is some limited evidence that puberty blockers can impact height and bone density, but Cronyn said those risks are low enough that he's never encountered issues in his practice. More recent research has cast doubt on the idea of bone density issues.

And regarding puberty blockers in particular, it's been determined that their usage merely has a positive effect on the mental health of trans kids without having any long-term effects. No, the real impact which this legislation stands to produce has nothing to do with preventing already-nonexistent surgeries &/or any supposed dangers related to the use of puberty blockers. Transgender kids are at-risk for depression & suicide at higher rates than they otherwise would be not because of who they are but due to the harmful messages that society sends them with pieces of legislation like this. Legislation like this makes transgender kids feel like they're being targeted & like they're unloved & unwanted.

Is that what you want, Alben? Is that "largely pragmatic" & "sensible"? Am I just a "white wokester" (whatever the hell that means lmao because last I checked, Biden stans are supposed to be as far from being 'woke' as is humanly possible) for not wanting that?

[The Dowager Mod]

These threads always go so well. 

[Trans Rights Are Human Rights]

I've already made my thoughts clear, so I'll just tell my position on the matter and sit back.

Maybe I'm biased, but I'll say this much: I started hormones at 17 and I turned out fine, relatively speaking. I agree that surgery is a bit much for a kid, but unless your name is Jazz Jennings, you're probably not going under the knife before the age of majority.

[😥]

I see nothing wrong with this bill

[Ferguson97]

Disgusting

[Bootes Void]

While I don't disagree with this, I do think this issue gets too much attention.

[Ferguson97]

Once again, the white wokesters seem to be at odds with the black Democrats who are the core voters of the party and are largely pragmatic, sensible people. As well as the “silent majority” of people in general I think. It SHOULDN’T be so outrageous to say you think people shouldn’t be allowed to irreversibly alter their bodies before they can legally vote, smoke, drink, marry, etc. but here we are.

Don't use Black people as a shield for your transphobia.

[Roronoa D. Law]

The problem with this is that McKnight is trying to solve a problem to one that does not exist. It seems like he is trying to score political points for a future party switch or personal venture.

[Old Man Willow]

Great news. Should be classified as child abuse, with termination of parental rights for the parents and revocation of physicians license for the doctors.

[Warren 4 Secretary of Everything]

I mean I don’t necessarily disagree, but I also don’t care enough about this “issue” to have a full opinion on it. What’s the point in legislating on this subject? Just seems like a solution in search of a problem.

[Former President tack50]

The actual trans people here can correct me but as long as puberty blockers are excluded from the bill this should be ok right?

Tbh while 18 is slightly above what I'd go for it doesn't seem that bad to me if they allow puberty blockers for people below 18. I certainly wouldn't allow  "proper" hormone pills at all for trans people below the age of 16 or 17. Granted at those ages 1-2 years make a big difference I guess

[Horus]

I get his point but he's wrong about tattoos, I got my first at 16 with a parent signing a form, unless South Carolina has different laws about that than Ohio. Perhaps 16 should be a compromise age for this issue as well, which isn't going away as much as some wish it would.

[Calthrina950]

Once again, the white wokesters seem to be at odds with the black Democrats who are the core voters of the party and are largely pragmatic, sensible people. As well as the “silent majority” of people in general I think. It SHOULDN’T be so outrageous to say you think people shouldn’t be allowed to irreversibly alter their bodies before they can legally vote, smoke, drink, marry, etc. but here we are.

Don't use Black people as a shield for your transphobia.

Are you saying that we should allow people to undergo surgery or obtain treatments under the age of 18? Do you believe that we should treat such procedures the same as abortion, with minors able to obtain them without needing parental consent?

[Big Abraham]

Once again, the white wokesters seem to be at odds with the black Democrats who are the core voters of the party and are largely pragmatic, sensible people. As well as the “silent majority” of people in general I think. It SHOULDN’T be so outrageous to say you think people shouldn’t be allowed to irreversibly alter their bodies before they can legally vote, smoke, drink, marry, etc. but here we are.

Don't use Black people as a shield for your transphobia.

I'm not sure there's ever been a time on this board I've defended KYWildman against you, but literally nothing he said was transphobic.

You seem to have a penchant for smearing people with some "-phobia" du jour and it's quite tiring.

[Horus]

Once again, the white wokesters seem to be at odds with the black Democrats who are the core voters of the party and are largely pragmatic, sensible people. As well as the “silent majority” of people in general I think. It SHOULDN’T be so outrageous to say you think people shouldn’t be allowed to irreversibly alter their bodies before they can legally vote, smoke, drink, marry, etc. but here we are.

Don't use Black people as a shield for your transphobia.

I'm not sure there's ever been a time on this board I've defended KYWildman against you, but literally nothing he said was transphobic.

You seem to have a penchant for smearing people with some "-phobia" de jure and it's quite tiring.

I don't get how that was transphobic either. This district is in rural South Carolina, obviously folks there are gonna be more conservative on trans issues then Wokesters in Berkeley.

[H.E. VOLODYMYR ZELENKSYY]

To what extent do puberty blockers actually cause “irreversible” changes that would outweigh the overall benefits conferred by letting trans teens have access to them? There seems to be a lot of misinformation and uninformed assumptions going around about trans people.

[JA]

How about listening to the scientists and transgender people (adults and children) on this issue, rather than any random person off the street who doesn’t have a clue about the issue beyond their own prejudice?

You can’t assume that a Democrat is necessarily progressive - the party is an increasingly loose coalition of “anyone who isn’t a right-wing extremist.” That’s going to include a lot of people with awful political views.

[Left Wing]

Once again, the white wokesters seem to be at odds with the black Democrats who are the core voters of the party and are largely pragmatic, sensible people. As well as the “silent majority” of people in general I think. It SHOULDN’T be so outrageous to say you think people shouldn’t be allowed to irreversibly alter their bodies before they can legally vote, smoke, drink, marry, etc. but here we are.

Even if you agree with this bill (which I don’t), this is such a disingenuous point to act like one black state senator supporting this validates the bill by assuming it has the support of the black community at large. The fact is that if this bill were ever to come up for a vote in congress, not even a single member of the congressional black caucus would vote for it. Labeling your own position on the issue as common sense and pragmatic and then backing that up by labeling a group (which polls suggests is roughly 50/50 on this issue) as being on your side is a ridiculous way to try and argue your point especially when you mix it in with labeling people you disagree with as “white wokesters”

[Ferguson97]

Once again, the white wokesters seem to be at odds with the black Democrats who are the core voters of the party and are largely pragmatic, sensible people. As well as the “silent majority” of people in general I think. It SHOULDN’T be so outrageous to say you think people shouldn’t be allowed to irreversibly alter their bodies before they can legally vote, smoke, drink, marry, etc. but here we are.

Don't use Black people as a shield for your transphobia.

Are you saying that we should allow people to undergo surgery or obtain treatments under the age of 18? Do you believe that we should treat such procedures the same as abortion, with minors able to obtain them without needing parental consent?

Yes.

[Calthrina950]

Once again, the white wokesters seem to be at odds with the black Democrats who are the core voters of the party and are largely pragmatic, sensible people. As well as the “silent majority” of people in general I think. It SHOULDN’T be so outrageous to say you think people shouldn’t be allowed to irreversibly alter their bodies before they can legally vote, smoke, drink, marry, etc. but here we are.

Don't use Black people as a shield for your transphobia.

Are you saying that we should allow people to undergo surgery or obtain treatments under the age of 18? Do you believe that we should treat such procedures the same as abortion, with minors able to obtain them without needing parental consent?

Yes.

Why so?

[Ferguson97]

Once again, the white wokesters seem to be at odds with the black Democrats who are the core voters of the party and are largely pragmatic, sensible people. As well as the “silent majority” of people in general I think. It SHOULDN’T be so outrageous to say you think people shouldn’t be allowed to irreversibly alter their bodies before they can legally vote, smoke, drink, marry, etc. but here we are.

Don't use Black people as a shield for your transphobia.

Are you saying that we should allow people to undergo surgery or obtain treatments under the age of 18? Do you believe that we should treat such procedures the same as abortion, with minors able to obtain them without needing parental consent?

Yes.

Why so?

Why shouldn't we?

[GALeftist]

Listen, guys, let's face the facts. Minors cannot consent to these sorts of permanent changes to their bodies. The fact of the matter is that they are simply too young to know for sure what their gender identity will be forever, and even if they did, there's no reason to believe that a child's brain is capable of understanding what they're signing up for, especially during the confusing times of adolescence.

This is why I believe puberty blockers should be mandatory until one turns 18; after all, untold numbers of trans people would like to transition but are trapped by the effects of a puberty they did not meaningfully consent to. After all, if a cis person still feels comfortable in their assigned gender, they can simply undergo puberty as normal at 18 with no harm done.

[Born to Slay. Forced to Work.]

Once again, the white wokesters seem to be at odds with the black Democrats who are the core voters of the party and are largely pragmatic, sensible people. As well as the “silent majority” of people in general I think. It SHOULDN’T be so outrageous to say you think people shouldn’t be allowed to irreversibly alter their bodies before they can legally vote, smoke, drink, marry, etc. but here we are.

Sorry but this is just false and oversimplified to the point of being almost offensive. Blacks in rural South Carolina are just, is not more, homophobic and transphobic as their counter parts. Rep. Robert Q. Williams, a democrat, is firmly against gay marriage. Elected officials are usually not terribly homophobic, but homophobia and transphobia in rural church communities (black or white) are a very real problem, and there’s a score of lgbt figures (such as Don Lemon) can attest to this. I can myself cause I have experienced it first hand.

Most black people are not homophobic or transphobic, but ignoring the issues that exist in rural evangelical communities and therefore black communities and washing it over as just “sensible people” is down right offensive