[VIDEO] Minnesota House passes bill to establish North Star State as a ‘trans refuge’ state

A long day of phone interviews and errands. Here's a look at one of the transformative actions in the Minnesota legislature, on a might in which the skies were blazing with the northern lights.

That convergence didn't escape notice:

On this night, the skies are filled with rainbow light. Your leadership is burning brightly @leighfinke. 💙 https://t.co/4J6hlJJUiH

— Erin Murphy (@epmurphymn) March 24, 2023

From Session Daily:

House passes bill to establish Minnesota as a ‘trans refuge’ state
By Tim Walker

Establishing Minnesota as a “trans refuge” is another vote and gubernatorial signature away from becoming law.

A bill to prevent out-of-state laws from interfering in the practice of gender-affirming health care was passed 68-62 by the House before sunrise Friday.

It was clear from the debate’s outset that passions on both sides of the issue run high, as the debate was accompanied by vocal protests – both for and against the measure – outside the House Chamber.

Gender-affirming health care encompasses a range of social and medical interventions to affirm someone’s internal gender identity, including puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, permanent hair removal, voice therapy, and surgical interventions.

“Gender-affirming care is health care,” Rep. Leigh Finke (DFL-St. Paul), the sponsor of HF146, said at a Thursday news conference.

pecifically, the bill would prohibit the enforcement of a court order for removal of a child or enforcement of another state’s law being applied in a pending child protection action in Minnesota when the law of another state allows the child to be removed from the parent or guardian for receiving medically necessary health care or mental health care that respects the gender-identity of the patient.

Finke, a trans woman and the first trans representative at the Legislature, said anti-trans laws enacted or being proposed in other states are part of a “cruel agenda” to create a culture of fear in children, their parents and adults, leading some to move to another state to get gender-affirming health care.

“We have a responsibility to create more space for our community to live their fullest, authentic lives without fear of violence, rejection, abuse, or political attack,” Finke said.

More than half of trans youth have lost, or are at risk of losing, access to age-appropriate, medically necessary gender-affirming care in their state, according to Dr. Angela Kade Goepferd, medical director of the gender health program at Children’s Minnesota.

This denial of care, she said at the news conference, singles out trans people for discriminatory treatment of their privacy, their family relationships, and their rights to access public accommodations and health care. “As a country, we are literally legislating health disparities into law.”

Studies show that for young people who identify as transgender, gender-affirming care can decrease emotional distress, has positive effects on overall well-being, and reduces thoughts of suicide, Goepferd said.

Among Republican arguments is the proposal undermines parental rights, Rep. Peggy Scott (R-Andover), at a separate pre-session briefing. “It allows children, regardless of age, to seek and receive radical medical treatments … all without their parents’ guidance and love.”

That's Scott's position. At the Star Tribune, Briana Bierschbach reiterated Goepford's points in Minnesota House passes transgender refuge bill:

. . .Medical practitioners who provide gender-affirming care in Minnesota said they've already seen a spike in calls and people traveling from other states that have passed bans to receive such care. That care often includes support for families, counseling and medication such as hormone blockers to prevent puberty from happening.

Gender-affirming related surgeries for children under 18 are rare, said Dr. Angela Kade Goepferd, chief medical director of the gender health program at Children's Minnesota. They don't perform surgeries on patients under 18.

"It is a very rare for a thing for a child to access," she said. "The vast majority of gender-affirming care is medication-based or supportive services." . . .

Medical organizations like the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have said that access to gender-affirming care is essential. The American Medical Association recently sent a letter to the National Governors Association urging state leaders to oppose restrictions on gender-affirming care, calling it "medically necessary" for transgender people "who face increased risk of anxiety, stress, substance use disorder and suicide." . . .

Readers can watch the floor debate and vote on HF146 in the Minnesota House Information Services Youtube embedded below:

Photo: Rep. Leigh Finke speaks in favor of the trans refuge bill that she authored. Picture: Rep. Sandra Feist, Twitter via Bring Me The News.

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