The Women and Girls in Sports Protection Act is unlikely to pass the Senate, where Democrats hold a majority, and the White House has said President Joe Biden would veto it in any case.
But the move highlights the growing interest of Republicans in pushing through controversial education-related bans.
“We must protect the integrity of women’s sports,” said the bill’s sponsor, Republican Greg Steube of Florida.
Citing various verses from the Bible, according to which God “created man and woman,” the congressman accused progressives of having “perverted” American mores by agreeing to “blur the lines between genders.”
mental health problems
More than 56% of transgender youth have had suicidal ideas in their lifetime and 31% have attempted suicide, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
They are also more prone to depression, anxiety, eating disorders, risky behaviors, and mutilation than other teens.
“Studies show that these young people feel better when they have the means to express the gender” with which they identify, through puberty blockers or hormone treatments, emphasizes Jack Drescher.
“Because of all these laws, a lot of young people are very depressed, they no longer have faith in the future,” says Rachel Smith, a 47-year-old transgender woman who works as a behavior therapist with trans youth in Baltimore.
According to a survey conducted by the Trevor Project, an anti-suicide association that works with LGBT+ youth, 86% of trans or non-binary youth say that this legislative frenzy has had a negative impact on their mental health.
With information from AFP