The following story was reported Tuesday but is updated to include recent developments of Senate Bill 16.
Hundreds of demonstrators, including the hosts Equality Utah and the American Civil Liberties Union of Utah, rallied at the state Capitol on Tuesday in protest of a series of bills aiming to restrict gender-affirming health care for transgender youth.
The House Health and Human Services Committee rejected House Bill 132 – which would have banned any gender-affirming care for minors and made providing those services punishable – but passed Senate Bill 16, legislation that includes similar restrictions. After a modification to the bill in the House, SB16 secured a passing House vote Thursday afternoon, sending the bill back to the Senate for another vote before presumably landing on the governor’s desk.
The modification placed an indefinite moratorium on hormonal treatments for youth not already being treated for gender dysphoria for at least six months. The original bill specified the moratorium would end after four years.
Supporters of SB16 say they worry about the long-term impacts of surgeries and hormonal treatments, but Saige Paulson, a transgender youth member who spoke to the crowd, said gender-affirming care allows people to be who they are.
“If I had access to gender-affirming care in high school, my life would be on a totally different trajectory right now,” Paulson said. “I would’ve saved myself years of depression and anxiety.”
A 2022 study conducted by Princeton University’s Trans Youth Project showed youth who “retransition” are infrequent.
Out of 317 transgender youth studied, aged three to 12, 94% identified as trans boys or girls five years after their transition and only 2.5% identified as cisgender, a person whose gender identity aligns with their sex assigned at birth.
“A cis woman can walk into a doctor’s office and get estrogen instantly. They don’t need to go through any extra process — we have to, and it’s not right,” said rally participant Jamie alongside friend Lily, both of whom identified themselves by first name only for privacy.
Zee Kilpack – who attended the rally wearing a transgender flag as a cape, holding a sign that read, “You are valid” – said they believe that banning gender-affirming healthcare for minors will ultimately result in harm.
“[A lack of gender-affirming care] tells a person that they’re not allowed to have health care like cis people, that they’re supposed to pretend to be a cis person to earn health care,” Kilpack said. “It’s suicide prevention to validate trans youth and their identities.”
“There’s nothing wrong with experimenting and finding out who you are,” Lily said, “kids should have that opportunity as well.”
