SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah Senate committee voted 5-2 to advance a bill that would ban sex characteristic surgeries on transgender youth.
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Following the Senate Health & Human Services Committee vote on SB16 Wednesday, the bill will now head to the full chamber.
The bill would ban gender affirming surgeries, which are currently not performed, involving anyone under 18. Sponsored by Sen. Mike Kennedy (R-Alpine), the bill also imposes a moratorium on future hormone treatment options for transgender youth, at least until some regulation is imposed on physicians who practice transgender health care.
This is the third legislative session that the committee had discussed the bill.
“The future and safety of our children are top priorities for all of us," said Sen. Kennedy. "I'm a family doctor by day and a father of eight children and grandfather of seven children. I happen to be a state legislator as well.”
The bill would also put a moratorium on puberty blockers and ban transgender surgeries for minors.
“It is wrong to convince children that they are in the wrong body," said Ryan Woods, who goes by "Lady MAGA USA," representing 'Gays Against Groomers.' "Nothing could be more abusive or harmful to an innocent child like I was than to be told something is so wrong with you that we have to cut off your body parts.”
The majority of people who spoke up at the meeting were against the bill.
“What I have been blessed to see with this daughter is my daughter thrive and blossoming as she received proper counseling hormones, medical procedures, not conversion therapy," said Lance Sweeten. "It eased her dysphoria and made her begin to love herself again.”
Later in the session, the committee also voted to advance two other bills surrounding transgender issues, including Sen. Todd Weiler’s School District Gender Identity Policies bill, which blocks local school districts from shielding information from parents about their child, including information about their gender identity.
“I don't believe it's the proper role of government to tax parents and then create policies involving minor children and actively hide or conceal those policies from parents," said Sen. Weiler.
The bill would ban schools from treating a student in a way that relates to a gender identity that does not match the student’s sex.
“I never was able to talk to anybody about my experience at school because I was so scared about my parents finding out," said Lorcan Murphy. "When kids inevitably get outed by their teachers, you're going to be sending them home to beatings.”
The committee also advanced SB93, a bill that will prohibit a name or a gender change on a birth certificate for anyone under 18.
