Republicans, LGTBQ advocates clash over transgender youth bills

By Emilee Fannon

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    MADISON, Wisconsin (WDJT) — Republican lawmakers and members of the LGTBQ community clashed over a pair of transgender youth bills during a series of public hearings Tuesday.

At the center of debate, GOP proposals that seek to restrict gender-transition treatments and ban transgender youth from playing on women’s sports teams.

Emotions ran high as lawmakers were often interrupted by LGBTQ advocates in the audience while testifying and some were asked to leave if outbursts continued.

Republicans defended their bills they say would create an equal playing field by only allowing women and girls from joining sports teams that correlate with their biological sex.

“This is not a matter of transphobia or hate…this is a matter of equality and justice,” said Rep. Barb Dittrich (R-Oconomowoc), who co-authored the bill.

The proposal was first introduced in 2021 and passed the Assembly but never received a vote in the Senate.

Another bill Democrats criticized would ban certain gender-affirming health care treatments for minors such as hormone therapy and surgeries. Health care providers could lose their license if they provided services to “change the minor’s body to correspond to a sex that is discordant with the minor’s biological sex,” under the measure.

Co-authors State Sen. Duey Stroebel (R-Saukville) and Rep. Scott Allen (R-Waukesha) argued the bill would give youth a chance to rethink their options before going through “permanent changes.”

“This is not an anti-trans bill,” Stroebel said. “What this does is prevent life altering surgeries and procedures of children before they really have the ability to make a decision on where they want to go in life.”

Nearly two dozen states have proposed similar bans, and several have faced legal challenges from health care providers and civil rights organizations. Last week, a Montana judge blocked a law banning gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors just days before it was about to take effect.

“Trans youth already have a hard enough time dealing with bullying and discrimination and this would greatly impact their mental health,” said AJ Hardie, program director at OutReach LGBTQ+ Community Center in Madison. “I didn’t transition until adulthood, and I regret the childhood I could have had because I didn’t live as myself for the first 28 years of my life.”

Gov. Tony Evers has vowed to veto both pieces of legislation and echoed that message to advocates at the capitol Tuesday.

“I know you’re here because you’re pissed off and you want to stop it,” Evers said on “X,” formally known as Twitter. “And I’ll help you stop it.”

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