Utah lawmakers claim that gender-affirming care poses harm to children, a stance that clashes with findings from their own study
Utah's Department of Health and Human Services has released a study challenging the grounds upon which the state banned gender-affirming healthcare for minors in 2023. The report, commissioned under the same law, asserts that gender-affirming care leads to positive mental health and psychosocial outcomes for transgender individuals and contradicts the original claims made by Utah Republicans.
The study, consisting of over 1,000 pages, focuses on thousands of transgender people in Utah, concluding that gender-affirming care generates these positive outcomes. Furthermore, it states that policies restricting access to hormone therapy for minors cannot be justified on the basis of scientific findings or concerns about future regret.
The agency, however, has not taken a stance on whether the state legislature should lift the ban on hormone therapy and surgeries for minors. Nevertheless, they have reminded lawmakers that the prohibition was intended to be temporary until Utah could conduct its own research.
As of now, Utah is among 27 states that have imposed laws limiting or banning gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors, a group that has become a political flashpoint for many Republicans. Federal judges have already struck down bans in Arkansas, Florida, and Montana as unconstitutional, although a federal appeals court has stayed the Florida ruling. The law in Kansas is yet to be enforced.
Utah's Republican lawmakers have shown mixed reactions to the report. Some have expressed openness to considering the findings, while others have been quick to dismiss them. In a joint statement, the House sponsor of the 2023 law banning gender-affirming care and the chair of the Legislature's interim health committee, Republican Reps. Katy Hall and Bridger Bolinder, stated their intention to keep the moratorium in place, asserting that "the science isn’t there, the risks are real, and the public is with us."
Opponents of the ban, including Democratic leaders Rep. Angela Romero and Sen. Luz Escamilla, have urged their Republican colleagues to take more time to review the report before deciding the future of the ban. The University of Utah's health clinic for LGBTQ+ youth shut down earlier this month due to a significant decrease in patients after the law was enacted. Doctors who provide gender-affirming care to minors in violation of the ban risk losing their licenses and potentially facing criminal charges.
The report acknowledges certain risks associated with gender-affirming care, such as an increase in some types of benign brain tumors. However, it emphasizes the positive impact of such treatments in mitigating the risk of suicide among transgender youth. Patients seen at the gender clinic before the age of 18, according to the report, had a lower risk of suicide compared to those referred as adults.
The findings of the Utah DHHS report contrast with one issued earlier this month by President Donald Trump's administration, which questioned widely accepted treatment standards from the World Professional Association for Transgender Health. Trump's guidance suggests a greater emphasis on behavioral therapy over medical interventions for children with a gender identity disconnect. Nevertheless, major medical groups argue that they were not consulted during the drafting of the report.
- The study by Utah's Department of Health and Human Services, spanning over 1,000 pages, reveals that gender-affirming care leads to positive mental health and psychosocial outcomes for transgender individuals, contradicting previous claims made by Utah Republicans.
- The report states that policies restricting access to hormone therapy for minors cannot be justified based on scientific findings or concerns about future regret, highlighting the positive effects of such care on thousands of transgender people in Utah.
- The agency has refrained from taking a stance on whether the state legislature should lift the ban on hormone therapy and surgeries for minors, but has reminded lawmakers that the prohibition was intended to be temporary until Utah could conduct its own research.
- The findings of the report have become a point of contention among Utah's lawmakers, with some Republican representatives expressing openness to considering the findings, while others continue to dismiss them, citing concerns about science and potential risks.
