Sponsored by Republican House Reps. Tom Brinkman and Paul Zeltwanger, House Bill 658 grants parents sweeping rights to “withhold consent for gender dysphoria treatment or activities that are designed and intended to form a child’s conception of sex and gender.”
HB 658 also prevents schools from affirming a child’s trans identity without the consent of the young person’s parents. Violating that portion of the legislation would result in a 4th-degree felony.
Despite the fact studies have proven that children are aware of their gender identity around the age of 4, this bill authorizes parents to reject their children’s gender identity or expression.
Perhaps more damning, one of the other provisions of HB 658 prevents Ohio courts from denying custody to parents in the event they block their transgender child from transitioning.
“[The bill’s] a waste of time and money that could otherwise be spent on actual issues affecting Ohio’s minorities,” Kate Kloss, a transwoman from Cleveland, tells Scene. “And it’s insulting to teenagers, cis or trans, to say that they can’t make decisions for themselves.”
Rep. Brinkman says the legislation was inspired following a February court ruling by the Ohio First District Court of Appeals in which the grandparents of a 17-year-old transboy were awarded custody after his family attempted to force him into conversion therapy.
Meaning, if a child wanted to move in with more affirming family members that would support their transition, the child would be completely helpless and would be stuck living in a non-affirming household.
“They should have that responsibility,” Brinkman told WOSU Public Media. “And if somebody doesn’t like it, you’re emancipated at age 18 and you can go do whatever the heck you want.”
The problem with that, however, is that transitioning later in life can be extremely difficult. Once a transgender person has already gone through puberty, reversing those changes is much harder than if the child was able to transition beforehand. Transmen would have developed breasts. Transwomen would have already developed deeper voices and facial hair.
While being trans is about existing and not about passing, disallowing a transperson to transition as early as possible is denying them the opportunity to live authentically as soon as possible.
Additionally, the law seems frivolous because children under 18 years old already need parental or guardian consent to begin hormone treatment. There is no set age limit for starting on prescription hormones related to transition, and doctors need to assess a patient’s situation on a case-by-case basis. This law is specifically about preventing the affirmation of transgender youth disguised as a concern for their “health.”
“Medical professionals are more qualified than parents to make decisions about a teenager’s healthcare,” says Kloss. “I wonder what [the legislators] could accomplish if they cared as much about police brutality as they do about interfering in teen healthcare.”
According to a statement from Equality Ohio, “This unnecessary and discriminatory bill does nothing to support youth and families, In fact, it puts the livelihoods of some of our most vulnerable youth—transgender youth—further at risk with bullying and discrimination by potentially forcing teachers to out them.”
The bill attempts to perpetuate a dangerous narrative surrounding transgender youth, despite all research proving that access to transition related care is vital in allowing a healthy future for transgender individuals.
This is just the latest anti-trans legislature to be introduced in Ohio, wasting valuable time that could be spent on anti-discrimination and protection legislation, as Transpeople are at higher risks of violence and discrimination than anyone else under the LGBTQ umbrella.
HB 658 received a hearing from the Community and Family Advancement committee earlier this week, but it remains to be seen whether it can find support in the Ohio General Assembly.
If it does, it can only be expected that a massive pushback from progressive groups and protests would soon follow.
To learn more about transgender rights in Ohio, visit the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) here.
This article appears in Jun 20-26, 2018.
Thanks, Columbus…
For what, you benighted Bible-thumpers are asking?
Why, for your success in making Mississippi and Texas look better and better every day.
No one under 18 should receive ‘hormone treatment. Their ‘own’ hormones are not yet fully in production. You don’t change around variables until you have a stable system.
only in clown world would this be considered a negative
The pharmaceutical induction and of course, the promotion of sex changes and transsex culture is another new world order policy meant to vilify the traditional family and depopulate the planet.
There is no real understanding here unless you have walked in those shoes. With that being said, most have not had to deal with this, which means the problem is in someones home and not yours. If the problem is on your front door knocking and its your child, well then its a complete different story. Tell this to the mother and father who is watching the casket of their transgender child being lowered in to a six foot deep hole in the ground because they refused to listen when their child tried to talk to them about how they felt. Many such children take their own life’s because no won would listen to them.
Is HB 658 wise to give parents the right to reject their child’s gender expression?
Colangelo says “No”, but she is correct?
She writes that “studies” have shown that children know their gender identity around the age of 4. But
she doesn’t know or fails to mention that the American College of Pediatricians has done studies as well showing that transgenderism is more often than not resolved by adulthood.
Read their research here: https://www.acpeds.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/5.26.17-a-medical-response-to-doe-and-doj-updated.pdf.
This is important in the discussion, because it shows that parents should be very careful if/when to affirm trans expression, at the very least until adulthood.
The people posting are largely ignorant of the whole problem of treating a trans gender person. If the syndrome can be identified early then all the physical problems of puberty can be avoided . Waiting till 18 is too late. What other childhood syndrome would you chose to leave untreated till 18 ?
So many people seem to believe that hormones are the first thing that young people go for when transitioning. That is really not as common as one might think. Here is the reality:
* Pre-pubescent kids don’t need any sort of hormones to transition. They just wear different clothes and hair. This is called “social transition.” In no way does it have to be permanent. If parents have discomfort with changes in clothing, hair, and social preferences, they are they going to have a heck of a time with those teenage years, REGARDLESS of how stable the kid’s gender turns out to be.
* Kids who are questioning their gender can really benefit from therapy. Therapy can be a really important part of figuring things out! The wrong kind of therapy (i.e., conversion therapy) can be deadly, though. Let the kids get the right kind of therapy for the challenge they are facing. Preventing them from doing so is child abuse, plain and simple. Why this is seen as anything other than common sense boggles the mind.
* Gender questioning/transgender kids right at or shortly after the age of puberty can often use hormone blockers to pause or delay puberty. Again, in no way are hormone blockers a permanent decision. A kid can go on hormone blockers until they are 18 if need be. At that point the ADULT can and will legally make their own decisions about their own body.
As for hormones, please read the darn article. There’s already a law on the books. It’s a waste of time to argue about making a new law to do the same thing.
The American Psychiatric Association has stated that hormone treatment and gender reassignment surgery on a child under the age of 18 is detrimental to that individuals overall development. If your child urges you to help them with this in life promote self education about health issues, societal issues, and mental health issues and encourage them to go through the process once their body and brain has fully developed. Furthermore, you cannot force parents or guardians to hand over their children’s physical and mental well being to court systems, schools, or government officials. People everyday are talking about the ‘revolution” coming from either left or right wing media and propaganda. This will be the tipping scale, the Pandora’s box that opens the door to that revolution…however, it will be parents of every race, religion, and ethnicity that will rise up against any institution that tries to implement a plan to have rights over our children.
It is not natural to force the hand of God through pumping children full of unnatural, synthetic hormones. Let the child develop fully and thry can decide on thier own when adults if they want to transition. This has so many negative repercussions, medically and emotionally.
I am a ftm transgender from Cleveland. I believe that it should be the parents choice to approve or deny hormone therapy for their child.
I didnt start transitioning till I was 25, there is no reason why kids have to start hormones so young. Teenagers are going through an experimental time in their lives, if they start hormones they make not be reversible if the kid chooses to no longer be trans. Hormones, especially testosterone is very potent and needs monitoring.
Teenagers can not make their own decisions! They are still children, their brains arent fully developed. If parents didnt have the ability to deny hormones than why not let teens be allowed to drink or do drugs? If kids are trustworthy with hormanal treatments than you should be able to trust them around alcohol. Teenagers can make their own decisions.
Once the kid is an adult than they can start hormones, whats wrong with waiting till they are 18? Or 21? Nothing!
I believe in supporting your child no matter what u conditionally. I tt my child all the time and she is a MTF in Cleveland. I listened to my child and it helped with her anxiety and self mutalation. She cut and didnt like herself. I accepted the fact that my child is transgender(15) and she is thriving more now then anything,
My child is MTF and is 15 years old. Its heartbreaking and tough as a parent to accept your child as being transgender. However, you should always LOVE your child unconditionally. People who judge, shouldnt judge unless youve walked in my shoes. I know I did the right thing allowing puberty blockers and HRT (after 2 years) and no changes and 2 years seeing a psychiatrist, its not a phase. Its who your child is and will always be, dont try to control who they are or youll lose them. Either by drugs, suicide or them never speaking to you again because you couldnt accept them for who they are, Yes, its tough but remember your there only close support and advocate.