Anti-trans Watch: MO,MT,OH,OK,SC,TX All Target Trans People. OH, MT, And National Positive Bills Move Forward.

The 2022-2023 legislative cycle is beginning, and we have seen more anti-trans bills filed this week than any other week. Key battlegrounds are emerging. I cover it all weekly right here.

Every week, we track all of the transgender policies that move across the United States together. The goal of this is to keep all of you, activists and informed readers, abreast of possible new laws that can be fought early. If you live in some of these states, contact your local representative or your LGBTQ+ center near you an explain how these policies would hurt you.

A summary of this week’s policies:

This has been one of the most busy weeks for transgender legislation and action in the United States since last year’s legislative cycle, and it is clear that the transgender legislative cycle for 2022-2023 is now in full swing. Multiple anti-trans laws are being proposed in states and they have gone further than laws proposed during the last cycle. Some states are emerging as battlegrounds - Montana and Ohio have seen a flurry of transgender legislative activity including some positive and negative movement in both states. Other states like Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, and South Carolina are going deep into anti-trans proposals and releasing some truly heinous bills.

Montana has seen 10 explicitly transgender related bills proposed this week, with half of the bills in favor of trans rights and half of the bills against trans rights. This is in addition to multiple bills pushed in previous weeks. It would appear that the Montana Legislature will make transgender policies central to its work and it is one of my top places to watch this year. Some of the anti-trans bills proposed there include bills that would forcibly detransition trans youth. Positive bills like a ban on the gay and trans panic defense were also proposed, though.

Other states have also released detransition bills. Missouri released 4 bills that would forcibly detransition trans youth, including one cruel bill that would take trans kids from their parents and jail their parents. South Carolina likewise released a bill that would detransition trans youth.

Ohio saw both positive and negative movement on transgender rights and legislation. The Ohio School Board, in a lame duck session, pushed out a resolution to instruct schools that Title IX does not protect transgender students. On the other hand, Ohio failed to pass SB151, a sports ban that would have banned trans youth from sports. Among many reasons for it not passing, the House version contained a genital inspection provision that the Senate version did not. House and Senate Republicans could not agree on the language of the bill, and the inclusion of anti-vax policies as well as a transfer of power from the state school board.

We learned this week in Texas that Attorney General Ken Paxton attempted to get a database or registry of transgender people in the state. He did this through drivers license gender marker change searches at the DMV. It’s unclear what data he actually got, but 16k drivers licenses were identified. The creation of transgender registries has been a particularly worrisome topic lately.

Rounding out the news, the United States Respect For Marriage Act was signed into law! This allows LGBTQ+ people to marry without worrying that the Supreme Court will strike down their marriages as invalid.

List of Anti-trans Policies And Movement:

MO SB134 - This bill is a don’t say gay or trans bill that goes further than most other bills. It states that teachers and other workers at schools cannot discuss gender identity or sexuality. This goes further than Florida’s “cannot provide instruction” law and would effectively ban trans teachers from teaching as they could not discuss their pronouns, new name, etc.

MO SB281 - This bill would define gender affirming care as child abuse in Missouri, jailing parents and taking away their trans kids.

MO SB49 - This bill would ban gender affirming care for trans youth in Missouri, SAFE act.

MO SB164 - This bill would ban gender affirming care for trans youth in Missouri, SAFE act.

MO SB236 - This bill would ban gender affirming care for trans youth in Missouri, SAFE act.

MT LC3824 - Would force minors to detransition, filed by Representative Sheldon-Galloway who has indicated anti-trans policy proposals. Though this is just a draft bill, this will likely be folded into a SAFE act (medical detransition bill for trans youth).

MT LC3825 - Would force minors to detransition, filed by Representative Sheldon-Galloway who has indicated anti-trans policy proposals. Though this is just a draft bill, this will likely be folded into a SAFE act (medical detransition bill for trans youth).

MT LC3826 - Would force minors to detransition, filed by Representative Sheldon-Galloway who has indicated anti-trans policy proposals. Though this is just a draft bill, this will likely be folded into a SAFE act (medical detransition bill for trans youth).

MT LC3827 - Would force minors to detransition, filed by Representative Sheldon-Galloway who has indicated anti-trans policy proposals. Though this is just a draft bill, this will likely be folded into a SAFE act (medical detransition bill for trans youth).

Ohio BOE Resolution - This resolution directed all schools in Ohio that Title IX does not apply to transgender students.

OK SB30 - Would declare an EMERGENCY over transgender people in schools, would force teachers to out their trans students, and would force supportive teachers to misgender and deadname trans students via compelled speech.

OK SB26 - Would declare another EMERGENCY over transgender people in bathrooms/locker rooms in schools by carving out an exception that lets coaches of the opposite sex be in the locker rooms, while still discriminating against trans coaches and trans people.

SC H3551 - This bill would forcibly detransition trans youth in South Carolina, making trans girls grow facial hair and trans boys grow breasts. It is one of many SAFE acts that have been introduced across the country.

Texas Trans Registry/Database - Ken Paxton requested all people who changed their gender marker at the DMV from M-F or F-M with the intent to create a database of trans individuals in the state. This registry initiative is terrible and could result in further anti-trans policies and legal action.

List of Pro-trans Policies And Movement:

MT LC4128 - This draft bill would ban conversion therapy in Montana.

MT LC4129 - This draft bill would require state recognition of historical LGBTQ+ figures and LGBTQ+ history.

MT LC4132 - This draft bill would provide LGBTQ+-related diversity training for people in Montana.

MT LC4134 - This draft bill would require insurance coverage for all gender-affirming care.

MT LC3603 - This draft bill, by trans representative Zooey Zephyr, will prohibit the gay/trans panic defense in criminal proceedings.

MT LC3607 - This draft bill would prohibit LGBTQ+ discrimination in adoption for transgender people.

OH HB151 Falls - Though this bill is a negative bill, the result is positive. This bill would have banned trans people from sports and it failed in the house after Republicans disagreed on genital inspection provisions, among other things.

US Respect For Marriage Act - Codifies gay marriage into US law, signed this week.