Georgia Senate Bill 140 Endangers More Children Than it Claims to Protect
Georgia Senate Bill 140, signed by Republican Gov. Brian Kemp on March 23, 2023, bans most gender-affirming medical treatments for minors. The ban, effective July 1, includes gender-affirming surgeries and hormone replacement therapy, but does not include puberty blockers.
All gender-affirming care targeted in SB 140 is considered safe and effective and endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Association, and the American Medical Association. SB 140 is one of almost 500 anti-trans bills across the country, according to Trans Legislation Tracker.
SB 140 passed just 13 days after the suicide of Eden, a young trans woman whose parents hired government contractor Michael Pocalyko to pressure Eden to stop her transition and mend her relationship with her parents. For months, she was subjected to forced detransition attempts, her parents repeatedly confiscated her hormones, and she was told her desire to transition was wrong and unnatural.
Eden shared her final message on Twitter on March 12, the day before her family confirmed her death, writing, “I hope that the world gets better for us. I hope our people get old. I hope we get to see our kids grow up to fight for us. I hope for trans rights worldwide.”
“Governor Kemp should be ashamed of himself — taking lifesaving care away from vulnerable youth is a disgusting and indefensible act,” Human Rights Campaign State Legislative Director and Senior Counsel Cathryn Oakley said in a statement. “This law harms transgender youth and terrorizes their families, but helps no one — there will just be young people left without medically necessary, ageappropriate care … and the entire transgender community in Georgia feeling like they are unwelcome in their own state.”
In opposition to the passage of SB 140, over 500 medical professionals signed an open letter to the Georgia General Assembly, including Dr. Izzy Lowell, a family medicine physician and the founder of QueerMed. Founded in 2017, QueerMed seeks “to provide care for transgender and nonbinary people across the Southeast,” Dr. Lowell told Georgia Voice.
QueerMed treats approximately 300 minors in the state of Georgia.
“Why all this to-do for a couple of hundred kids?” Dr. Lowell asked. She said some of her patients are already experiencing difficulty with refilling prescriptions. Publix Pharmacy refused to fill one of her patient’s prescriptions for hormones, even though there was no reason not to do so. SB 140 allows for minors already on hormone therapy to be grandfathered in before the law takes effect on July 1, 2023.
“It’s affecting families tremendously,” Dr. Lowell said. “In the last week, well the last few months, but especially in the last week, I’ve gotten many calls, messages, and emails from distraught parents. Families are panicking. Teens themselves are terrified that they’ll be cut off from hormone therapy or won’t have access to it. It’s just complete panic.”
The importance of familial and societal support for trans people cannot be overstated. Studies show that support from parents and medical professionals results in “socially transitioned transgender children [having] notably lower rates of internalizing psychopathology than previously reported among children with [gender dysphoria] living as their natal sex.”
A 2022 survey conducted by The Trevor Project consisting of 34,000 participants found that nearly half of LGBTQ youth have seriously considered suicide. The survey says one in five trans and nonbinary youth have attempted suicide in the past year. Dr. Lowell expects tragedies like Eden’s as a result of SB 140.
“That doesn’t surprise me that someone would be pushed to that extreme,” she said. “That’s exactly what we’re talking about.”
Dr. Lowell told Georgia Voice that QueerMed has opened up to take new patients seeking hormone therapy until midnight on June 30 to ensure they can begin their transitions before SB 140 takes effect. To set up an appointment, they can visit queermed.com. No referral is required.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, visit thetrevorproject.org/get-help or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, text TALK to 741741, or visit suicidepreventionlifeline.org for more information.