Mississippi: Gov. Tate Reeves Signs Law That Bans Gender Reassignment for Minors

The state of Mississippi has enacted a gender reassignment ban for transgender minors after Republican Gov. Tate Reeves signed a bill imposing the prohibition.

House Bill 1125 states that public funds or tax deductions for gender reassignment procedures would be off-limits and stops Medicaid from covering gender transition-related care in Mississippi, as reported by KTLA News 5.

Reeves said that the matter has two positions, with one telling children "they're beautiful the way they are" and the other telling them that "they should take drugs and cut themselves up with expensive surgeries" to be free from depression.

The Republican governor went on to say that no child in Mississippi will "have these drugs or surgeries pushed upon them."

House Bill 1125 passed in Senate with a 33-15 vote and House with a 78-30 vote on January 19. The law took effect right away.

Aside from the gender reassignment ban, Reeves also signed a law in 2021 to ban transgender athletes from competing in girls' or women's sports.

Reeves signed the bill into law less than two weeks after transgender teenagers, including their families and those who support them, protested against the measure.

Gender Reassignment Ban in Mississippi

The newly signed law stated that healthcare professionals found violating the ban will have their license to practice in the state of Mississippi revoked.

American Psychiatric Association noted psychological distress may result when a person's gender identity and sex assigned at birth do not align.

LGBTQ advocates argued that access to gender reassignment procedures is a "life-saving health care," according to CNN.

The Trevor Project slammed Reeves' decision to sign the bill. The group is a nonprofit organization that works to prevent suicide among LGBTQ youth.

Its vice president of advocacy and government affairs, Kasey Suffredini, said in a statement that decisions about medical care should be made between parents, patients, and doctors and "not by politicians."

State director of Human Right Campaign Mississippi, Rob Hill, also condemned the move.

Hill noted in a statement that politicians are interfering "with our rights as parents and acting as if they know how to raise and support" their children as compared to them.

The state director added that "attacking LBTQ+ Mississippians will not solve any problems or make life easier" for the people in the state.

Instead, they will only "further demonize and alienate transgender kids."

U.S. Bills Targeting Transgender People

The Daily Leader reported that at least 150 bills have been introduced focusing on transgender people in the U.S., according to Human Right Campaign.

In February, states such as South Dakota imposed the same healthcare ban, while Utah enforced the same ban in January. The states of Alabama, Arizona, and Arkansas have also implemented gender reassignment bans in recent years.

However, two of those implementations were blocked by federal courts.

The state of North Carolina also launched a bill that stated that no provider shall offer care "to facilitate the minor's desire to present or appear" in a way that is "inconsistent with the minor's sex," as cited by Pew Trust.

Medical associations generally describe such care from pediatrics to psychiatry to endocrinology.

Patients needing such care are attended not only by their pediatricians but also counselors, family doctors, and specialized LGBTQ+ health care centers.

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Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: JUST IN: Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves Signs Ban On Gender Reassignment Surgeries On Minors - from Forbes Breaking News