The lives of trans kids are already tough enough in America. To add fuel to the fire, though, Florida has introduced a new bill that allows adults to put child athletes through examinations of their genitals just to make sure they're on the right team for their biological sex.
Think we're kidding? Keep reading.
According to reports, Florida's house of representatives passed the bill. Fortunately, however, the Senate did not pass the bill after the House of Representatives did. This proposed law, known as Senate Bill 2012, could have been fully passed by the Republican majority, potentially making school sports a horrific experience for young trans children.
What is even more surprising, though, is that the bill failed for monetary reasons! There was no concern for young girls who would have been deeply traumatized by this law.
Instead, the Republicans abandoned this idea (for now) after realizing that the National Collegiate Athletic Association may well pull all of their events out of Florida, and Florida would lose almost $75 million in revenue. They clearly know what matters more!
The bill does, in fact, suggest that any random adult has the authority to look at a child's genitals. If they think that a trans student is hiding his gender, according to the bill, this allows the school or institution to "request a certain health examination and consent form or another statement from the student's health care provider to verify the student's biological sex under certain circumstances."
However, the bill was nice enough to add that the child would not have to "disrobe publicly."
Young trans people already have it hard, and the states only make it worse for them! Given that the number of suicides among trans children is relatively high, the fact that the states' officials are seeking to make their times even harder is absolutely depressing.
We really have to stand up for these kids and make sure they are treated like all other kids, not based on their biological sex or gender identity. Hopefully, we will be able to achieve that one day.
