As GOP-controlled states move to ban pediatric gender-affirming care, Democrat-led states are increasingly casting themselves as safe havens for LGBTQ youth.
In Minnesota, state Rep. Leigh Finke, the state's first transgender lawmaker, introduced a bill in January to declare the North Star State "a trans refuge state by protecting trans people, their families, and medical practitioners from the legal repercussions of traveling to Minnesota to receive gender-affirming care."
Kat Rohn, executive director of OutFront Minnesota — the state's largest LGBTQ advocacy organization — testified in support of the bill at a Jan. 31 committee hearing on the measure.
"This bill is unfortunately all too necessary as lawmakers across this country seek to limit access to critical life-affirming care," Rohn said, according to The Washington Times.
The Minnesota bill, known as HF146, is part of a multistate "trans refuge" raft of legislation launched last year by the LGBTQ Victory Institute, Equality California, and Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California to "shield trans kids and their families from penalties when seeking gender-affirming care."
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, signed the first such measure into law in September. The legislation took effect Jan. 1, and at least 15 other states have committed to introducing similar bills.
Red states are clamping down on the rapidly-growing field of youth gender-affirming care and transition as questions about the short- and long-term health effects abound.
In 2021, Arkansas and Tennessee approved legislation banning gender-transition treatments for children, followed by Alabama last year. Florida took action in November, banning gender-transition hormones and surgeries for minors on the recommendation of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott tried a different approach last year when he ordered the state's child-welfare agency to investigate the parents of gender transitioning children for child abuse. According to the Times, the Texas Supreme Court allowed Abbott's order to stand pending a legal challenge while upholding a lower-court injunction in favor of the family who brought the complaint.
Trans-refuge opponents say they are alarmed by the potential for such legislation to strip parents of their custody rights.
"Democrats are now waging an all-out war on parents," Terry Schilling, president of the conservative American Principles Project, told the Times.
"This Minnesota bill would continue an alarming trend which began in California, empowering judges to strip parents of custody over their children if they object to allowing them to undergo dangerous, life-altering sex-change procedures," he continued. "In practice, this means any parent risks losing their child even if they simply travel to Minnesota."
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