Saturday, November 6, 3-5pm, Ohio Statehouse

Join us to demonstrate against H.B. 454! This bill is an aggressive and sweeping attack against trans youth in the state of Ohio!

Gather with us at the Ohio Statehouse to learn more about this harmful legislative attack on trans youth and what you can do to help stop it!

HB454, also known as the “SAFE [Save Adolescents from Experimentation] Act,” is actually anything but safe. This bill would effectively ban gender-affirming care for minors across the state of Ohio. The bill would:

• prohibit hormone blockers for Gender Dysphoria prior to the age of 18

• prohibit cross-sex hormones for youth experiencing gender dysphoria prior to the age of 18

• prohibit surgical interventions or Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS) for minors

• prohibit counselors and educators from concealing or encouraging adolescents to conceal their feelings of gender dysphoria from their parents

• prohibit referrals for medicalized treatments for minors with Gender Dysphoria

• prohibit Medicaid from covering the cost of SRS [Sex Reassignment Surgery] for minors

• prohibit any requirement for private insurers to cover medicalized treatments for gender dysphoria in adolescents [1]

This is incredibly dangerous! The claims made by the sponsors of the bill are in direct opposition to all existing evidence-based research and all CSWMFT [Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist] Board standards of care. A vast and growing body of evidence shows that gender-affirming care is extremely important for trans youth, greatly decreasing their risk of experiencing depression, suicidal thoughts, and transphobic bullying. [4]

This bill is just one of many anti-trans legislative measures to emerge around the United States. [2,3]

The legislators promoting this law have a political and religious agenda; they are all Republicans and they are all ignorant of the actual facts surrounding LGBT issues. [5]

[1] https://equalityohio.org/legislation/the-safe-act/

[2] https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/arkansas-passes-bill-ban-gender-...

[3] https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-politics-and-policy/judge-blocks-ark...

[4] https://www.columbiapsychiatry.org/news/gender-affirming-care-saves-lives

[5] https://legiscan.com/OH/bill/HB454/2021

Hosted by PSL [Party for Socialism and Liberation] Columbus.