Each January since I have lived in Utah, I dread what Rep. Kera Birkeland will bring to the legislative session.
As a pediatrician, I am continually appalled at the bills put forth by this schoolteacher and basketball coach. This year has proven to be no different, as she is the primary sponsor of HB257, which prohibits transgender people from using spaces that align with their preferred gender identity.
In my career, I am honored to have the opportunity to provide emotional and medical support to children and adolescents as they explore their gender identity and sexual orientation. This can be a time consumed with hope and excitement, but also fear and anxiety.
Surely, Rep. Birkeland, you have seen youth that identify as transgender being bullied at your school. I have taken care of them, in the hosptial, if the bullying and gender dysphoria gets to a point where they intentionally harm themselves in an attempt to die.
This is a national trend, as The Trevor Project’s 2023 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ Young People found that 41% of LGBTQ+ young people seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year.
The bill aims to “preserve the individual privacy of male and female students in the public education system.” In actuality, we should be asking how we can protect the privacy and safety of those who identify as transgender. In 2021, the FBI found that more than 1 in 5 of any type of hate crime is now motivated by anti-LGBTQ+ bias.
I implore the Utah Senate and Gov. Spencer Cox to either block this bill — or, at the very least, edit it with the guidance of the LGBTQ+ community. The idea of single-user restrooms is an excellent one, as it promotes safety for all Utahns. However, sections of the bill that do not recognize transgender people as people who deserve to live as their true identity should be removed. Transgender Utahns’ safety depends on it.
For community members hoping to join the fight against this bill, please join the Rally Against Transphobia on Jan. 25 at noon at the Utah State Capitol.
Hannah Hrobuchak
Dr. Hannah Hrobuchak is a pediatrician in Salt Lake City. All views expressed are her own.
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