Woke Minnesota lawmakers are seeking to make the state a “trans refuge” that would allow transgender kids and their families to receive gender-affirming care.
First introduced by Rep. Leigh Finke (D-Minn), the legislation, HF146, “would make Minnesota into 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.”
The bill is designed to provide life-alternating sex change procedures to minors who live in states that restrict gender-affirming care.
It would also prevent law enforcement from removing a child from parental custody that Republican-led states have ordered.
Finke, who is the first openly transgender person to serve in the state legislature, said the bill is a desperate “need” for her community.
“This is not a hypothetical scenario,” Finke said, adding “there are gender-diverse people in Minnesota right now receiving gender-affirming care. More are fleeing their home states asking where they should turn.”
This comes as states ban transgender care for minors, arguing that it can cause life-long repercussions to both a child’s physical and mental well-being.
Last week, Gov. Spencer Cox (R-Utah) signed a bill banning gender reassignment surgeries, including puberty blockers and hormone therapy for minors.
I don’t understand what they are going through or why they feel the way they do. But I want them to live,” Cox said in a statement. “And all the research shows that even a little acceptance and connection can reduce suicidality significantly.”
In defense of critics of Utah’s ban, Sen. Mike Kennedy (R-Utah) said that gender-affirming treatments “lack sufficient long-term research,” yet “our country is witnessing a radical and dangerous push for children to enter this version of health care.”
Meanwhile, a transgender “mother” testified in front of the Minnesota House concerning the state’s trans bill to advocate for the need for transgender services for children.
The transgender “mother” proudly stated that he is a parent to two “transgender and gender expansive kids,” calling the bill “lifesaving.”
A representative of the "transgender movement for liberation" testifies in favor of a bill to make Minnesota a "trans refuge." pic.twitter.com/U9PnIyGlli
— Alpha News (@AlphaNewsMN) February 2, 2023