‘Refuge for trans kids’ bill could soon pass CA Senate
New legislation is headed toward Governor Gavin Newsom's desk that would make California a refuge for transgender youth from conservative states.
SB 107 would protect out-of-state transgender youth from being prosecuted in their home state for seeking gender-affirming care.
"This is a bill about saving lives," said Jacob Rostovsky, CEO of Palm Springs-based non-profit Queer Works.
The bill comes amid a flurry of laws in other states around the country that would restrict access to transgender health care or criminalize kids and their parents for seeking it.
Kathie Moehlig said she understands what it's like to be a parent without access to medical treatments for her son. Her San Diego-based organization Trans Family Support Services has served 3,000 trans people and their families – and is a co-sponsor of SB 107.
"For our families that live out-of-state, they are looking for places that they can come," Moehlig said. "This bill will allow parents to make a choice of coming to California for their care, without having to be concerned about any kind of legal ramifications from their own state that has criminalized this care."
States like Texas and more than a dozen others have taken measures to separate transgender children from their parents or threaten criminal prosecution for giving trans kids access to gender affirming procedures or health care.
That's a matter Moehlig said can be life-or-death. "For our kids to be able to get access to care that helps them to align themselves with who they know themselves to be – is suicide prevention," she said.
Opponents of SB 107 worry that children could come to regret their decision to seek gender-affirming care, and should not be allowed to get treatments.
"The purpose of this bill isn't to help kids medically transition or to make bad choices," Rostovsky said. "It's just to provide them a space to be able to live, to then make that decision, to then think about how they want their lives to be."
"We want to be that safe place for other people that are in states that are attacking their rights," Moehlig said. "California is going to help to stand up for those folks."
SB 107 passed the state Assembly Monday 48-16 in a floor vote. Tuesday, the bill was passed 8-2 by the Senate judiciary committee. It was expected to go to a concurrence vote on the Senate floor Wednesday and if the bill passes, it will head to Gov. Newsom's desk for a signature.
