On Saturday morning, Jeff Walker woke his 15-year-old daughter Harleigh up with some news. In return, “she gave me the biggest hug,” Jeff told The Daily Beast.law that made it a felony for doctors and parents in the state to provide gender-affirming medical treatment to transgender youth under 19, punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
“I felt it was such a release of stress,” Harleigh said. “The past three weeks have been a constant battle with stress and anxiety regarding my transition and this legislation. Trying to balance just being a 15-year-old and fighting for my constitutional rights isn’t ideal. Now that this injunction is granted and the fight is on hold for now, and I can focus on moving forward with my transition, it makes me so happy.
Dr. Morissa Ladinsky, Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Alabama, Birmingham, who oversees the care of “several hundred kids” aged from 5 to 20 from Alabama, southern Tennessee, the Florida Panhandle, and the western edge of Georgia, told The Daily Beast: “I’m thrilled by the outcome of the decision. This is a huge relief for transgender children and their families.
The granting of the injunction “means that parents of transgender children in Alabama will continue to be able to make the healthcare decisions that are best for their families. It is an extraordinary relief. Parents should not be punished for wanting to do what’s best for their kids,” said Jennifer Levi, director of the transgender rights project for GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders.
“We’re not the ones who made the decision to have transgender surgery,” Rep. Sorrell said. “They’re the ones who put us in this position, not the reverse. They’re the instigators, we’re responding.” He appeared to advocate for conversion therapy for trans youth, who he said should have counseling to be told, “they are what God created them to be, not confuse them by encouraging them to have surgery and puberty blockers.
“This one does still stick in my craw, because this is way too heavy a burden to put upon these people,” the father of the trans son told The Daily Beast about the teachers-telling-on-trans kids provision staying intact. “Not only that, this canput these kids in danger—either from disapproving parents or by their own actions, feeling outed against their will.
Yay, a win for mutilation of children. Good job guys.
But you can still fuck your cousin no questions asked.