Written by Kimberly Kennedy
I must express my deep dismay about the persistent attacks by the Kentucky Legislative body upon the transgender community. These assaults stand in polarity with the scientific community’s understanding of transgenderism today.
The latest assault is SB2, which denies and withdraws transgender medical treatment for prisoners. This bill is inhumane and cruel.
Foremost, it reveals not only the sponsors’ lack of knowledge about Gender Dysphoria and transgenderism but also that they did not perform their due diligence to investigate the unique psychological and medical needs of transgender persons.
To illustrate, scientists have discovered that GD is an orientation influenced by chemical and biological factors in the brain and body. As an example, since hormone delivery occurs during separate periods of fetal development, researchers have found instances where the development of the sex organs in utero was subject to a hormonal mismatch from brain sex development, “so that the body was masculinized and the brain was feminized, or the other way around.”
We can all agree that individuals carry varying amounts of sex hormones. Thus it shouldn’t surprise anyone that experts conclude that gender is more of a continuum than a binary, and transgenderism is more of a variant than a disorder. Unfortunately, this does not fit the standard two-gender belief system imposed by uninformed conservatives.
Kentucky’s bill does not address the unique medical and psychological challenges nor improve the lives of inmates—nor Kentuckians. Instead it seeks to deny the standard of healthcare recommended by the AMA for transgender persons—and supplants this standard with healthcare advice suggested by unlicensed, non-medical legislators.
Moreover, denying medical treatment disrespects bodily autonomy. As the ACLU clarifies, “Nearly forty years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled…that ignoring a prisoner’s serious medical needs can amount to cruel and unusual punishment…‘Such a failure may actually produce physical torture…In less serious cases, denial of medical care may result in pain and suffering, which no one suggests would serve any penological purpose.’”
Some argue that taxpayer money shouldn’t go toward transgender medical care; but legislators aren’t—and shouldn’t be—allowed to pick and choose which conditions to treat. This legislation is superfluous because violating civil rights protections will invite a legal challenge, costing taxpayers for its defense.
In whole, withdrawing medical treatment SERVES NO PURPOSE BUT TO INFLICT HARM.
Educate yourself and others about the transgender community, and take a few minutes of your time to ask your legislators to OPPOSE anti-trans legislation.