Transgender people would be banned from public spaces in West Virginia if a controversial trilogy of bills are passed in the senate.
The triad of bills, Senate Bill 194, 195 and 197 were introduced in the state’s legislature earlier this month.
Senate Bill 194 proposes a rise of the age on the total ban on all gender-affirming care from 18 to 21.
Facilitating such care for people under 21 would be deemed unlawful under the proposed law and punishable by revocation of licenses and substantial civil penalties.
The bills have caused controversy
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Bill 195 says that it wants to "protecting minors from exposure to indecent displays of a sexually explicit nature" which includes "transvestite and/or transgender exposure in performances or displays to minors."
While Bill 197 says it aims to prohibit "obscene materials" in West Virginia schools, and also refers to trans people as “obscene matter” which would be banned being within 2,500 feet of a school, classifying it as “indecent exposure."
Now, LGBTQ+ groups have condemned the triad of bills, which have not yet been solidified in law, saying they pose a serious risk to the safety of young trans people in the state.
Activist Ash Orr said: "The mere introduction of these bills conveys a message to trans West Virginians that our elected officials are aiming to dehumanise and erase our existence.
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It comes as 86 per cent of transgender and non-binary youth in the US expressed that ongoing discussions had an adverse effect on their mental wellbeing
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"SB 195 is presented as a drag ban but it becomes clear that its true aim is to prohibit the public presence of trans folks...The language used in this bill categorises anything related to trans individuals as ‘obscene material’ and could lead to a felony charge."
A 2023 survey conducted by campaign group The Trevor Project, found that 86 per cent of transgender and non-binary youth in the US expressed that ongoing discussions regarding anti-trans bills had an adverse effect on their mental wellbeing.
Bill 195 also prohibits adults from showing a minor any films, pictures, graphics, magazines, or written material that includes transgender people.
This provision has been compared to the "gay propaganda" laws in Russia and Hungary which banned material featuring LGBT+ people, or the Section 28 laws in Britain that was in effect from 1988 to 2000, that prohibited the "promotion of homosexuality" by local authorities.
It comes as the Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to hear an Indiana public school district's defence of a policy barring transgender students from using bathrooms corresponding with their gender identity.
In April last year, the Supreme Court refused to let West Virginia enforce a state law banning transgender athletes from female sports teams at public schools.
The legislation is one of many Republican-backed measures across the country targeting LGBT+ rights.
Meanwhile, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine on Friday vetoed a bill that sought to ban gender-affirming care for transgender youth and stop trans athletes from competing on their gender identity's sports teams in the midwestern state.
