Maria Caspani

(Reuters) –Conservative legislators have passed a slew of bills directed at transgender youth this year. These include measures to ban classroom discussion about gender identity and to block young people’s access to health care to support their transition.

In the lead-up to 2022’s midterm elections in Washington, the Republican-sponsored legislation was introduced. The transgender rights have emerged as an important front in America’s cultural wars.

These are some bills that were passed this year.

SCHOOL SPORTS BAN

ARIZONA — Governor Doug Ducey signed legislation that prohibits transgender women from participating in sports programs for girls at both public and private schools.

KENTUCKY – The Kentucky legislature overrode Democratic Governor Andy Beshear’s veto and passed a law banning transgender girls and women from Kentucky school sports teams, grades 6-12, and Kentucky colleges and universities.

INDIANA: Republican Governor Eric Holcomb vetoed a bill that would have prohibited trans girls from participating in girls’ school athletics. It was opposed by Republican legislators who have pledged to repeal it.

IOWA: Republican Governor Kim Reynolds signed a law requiring students to be part of school teams based on “sex at the birth.” This bill was approved by both public and private schools, as well as higher education institutions.

KANSAS: The Governor Laura Kelly’s veto over a bill banning transgender girls and women from playing in school sports is still valid. The proponents of this bill failed to secure the two-thirds majority required in the House of Representatives of Texas to overturn the Democratic governor’s veto. It was effectively dead, despite the fact that state senators were able to vote to bypass the veto.

OKLAHOMA – Republican Governor Kevin Stitt signed an act banning transgender girl athletes from participating or competing in girls’ school athletics. A law requires that parents and guardians of under-18 student athletes sign an affidavit acknowledging the student’s biological sex at birth.

Utah lawmakers overturned Governor Spencer Cox’s veto to block a bill prohibiting transgender girls participating in sports in school. Cox (a Republican) called the bill “a flawed measure” in explaining why he vetoed it.

SOUTH DAKOTA – Governor Kristi Noem (a Republican) signed a bill that prohibits transgender women and girls playing in girls’ school sports.

HELPFUL HEALTHCARE REFUSIONS

ARIZONA — Doug Ducey the Republican Governor signed into law a bill prohibiting doctors from doing “irreversible Gender Reassignment Surgery” on minors.

ALABAMA: Republican Governor Kay Ivey signed into law a bill which would make parents and other health care providers who offer transition-related care to minors criminal. The penalty could be as high as 10 years imprisonment. It is under attack in court.

Texas: Governor Greg Abbott, bypassing the legislative process issued an order for parents to be investigated who give gender-affirming support to transgender children. This order is being challenged at court.

OTHER RESTRICTIONS

FLORIDA: Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has signed a bill banning classroom conversations, which includes instruction about sexual orientation or gender identity, for children from kindergarten to third grade. All teaching in grades 4-12 must also be age-appropriate, although the law does not define that term. Parents can sue schools districts that they feel are in violation of the law.

ALABAMA – Kay Ivey the Republican governor signed a bill which requires public school students to have bathrooms and change rooms that are gender compatible with the gender of their birth certificates. It also bans certain grade levels from having classroom discussions about sexual orientation and gender identity.

OKLAHOMA — Republican Governor Kevin Stitt signed a law prohibiting nonbinary birth certificate designations and limiting them to male or female.

Sources: Equality Federation Freedom for all Americans ACLU.