NOTHING WOULD HAPPEN.
>> ZAC SCHULTZ, THANKS A LOT.
>> THANK YOU, FRED.
>> IMPASSIONED TESTIMONY AT THE
CAPITOL CULMINATED IN HEATED
DEBATE OVER LEGISLATION
TARGETING TRANSGENDER CHILDREN.
ONE OF THE BILLS FORM OF HORMONE
TREATMENTS OR SURGERY.
THE REPUBLICAN AUTHORED
LEGISLATION SPARKED THESE WORDS
FROM ASSEMBLY SPEAKER ROBIN VOS.
>> SO JUST BECAUSE SOME PEOPLE
IN SCIENCE TODAY SAY THAT THIS
IS SETTLED THAT WE ARE GOING TO
MUTILATE CHILDREN BEFORE WE
ALLOW THEM TO GET A TATTOO,
BEFORE THEY DECIDE ON MANY
THINGS THAT WE SAY AS A SOCIETY
THEY CANNOT DECIDE, AND FOR ALL
OF YOU W.H.O. WHO HAVE SPONSORED THE
BILL TO SAY WE HAVE TO HAVE
17-YEAR-OLDS TREATED AS PRISON
BECAUSE THEY CAN'T BE ADMITTED
TO ADULT COURT BECAUSE THEIR
BRAINS AREN'T FORMULATED, GIVE
ME A BREAK!
SO YOU SAY THAT KIDS AREN'T OLD
ENOUGH TO KNOW RIGHT AND WRONG
WHEN THEY COMMIT AID CRIME, BUT
SOMEHOW PERMANENT BODILY
CHANGES, THAT, WHEN YOU'RE 3
YEARS OLD, YOU'VE GOT IT ALL
FIGURED OUT.
THIS IS BALONEY!
>> TO HEAR FROM A MEDICAL POINT
OF VIEW, WE SPEAK WITH BILL
KEETON, CHIEF ADVOCACY OFFER AT
SURVIVENT HEALTH, A CLINIC THAT
FOCUSES ON SERVICING LGBTQ
CLIENTS.
AS TO THE SPEAKER'S COMMENT THAT
CHILDREN AS YOUNG AS THREE ARE
UNDERGOING PERMANENT BODILY
CHANGES, IS THAT ACCURATE?
>> TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE,
I'VE NOT HEARD OF ANY INSTANCES
WHERE SOMEONE THAT YOUNG HAS
BEEN IN A POSITION WHERE THEY'VE
HAD, WHETHER IT'S GENDER
REASSIGNMENT SURGERY OR TAKING
THINGS LIKE HORMONES OR PUBERTY
BLOCKERS TO TREAT GENDER
DYSPHORIA LIKE WHAT'S BEING
DISCUSSED TODAY.
>> WHAT DOES MEDICALLY
RECOGNIZED GENDER-AFFIRMING CARE
INVOLVE FOR CHILDREN UNDER THE
AGE OF 18?
>> IT INVOLVES A LOT OF
DIFFERENT COMPONENTS.
PROBABLY FIRST AND FOREMOST IS
THE REALLY INTENTIONAL
ENGAGEMENT OF THAT INDIVIDUAL'S
PARENTS WITH A TEAM OF PROVIDERS
WHO ARE REALLY LOOKING AT WHAT
IS IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE
HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF THAT
CHILD.
THAT'S GOING TO INCLUDE THINGS
LIKE TALK THERAPY AND
TRADITIONAL MENTAL HEALTH.
IT MIGHT INCLUDE THINGS LIKE
PSYCHIATRY.
AND IF THE TEAM COMES TOGETHER,
THE PARENT OR PARENTS IN THIS
CASE COME TOGETHER WITH THE TEAM
OF PROVIDERS AND THEIR CHILD TO
DETERMINE THAT SOMETHING LIKE
GENDER REASSIGNMENT SURGERY IS
NECESSARY, THEN THAT'S THE
COURSE OF TREATMENT THAT'S GOING
TO BE FOUND AND SOUGHT OUT.
THERE'S GOING TO BE A LOT OF
CONSULTATION, A LOT OF
DISCUSSION, A LOT OF EDUCATION
OF THE PARENT AND THE CHILD OF
WHAT THIS IS GOING TO MEAN FOR
THAT INDIVIDUAL FOR THE REST OF
THEIR LIVES AND IT'S NOT THE
STANDARD COURSE.
I SHOULDN'T SAY IT'S NOT THE
STANDARD COURSE.
IT'S NOT THE ONLY COURSE.
THERE ARE A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT
APPROACHES TO HELPING SUPPORT
FOLKS WHO ARE LIVING WITH NOT
FEELING LIKE THEIR PHYSICAL BODY
MATCHES HOW THEY FEEL ABOUT
THEMSELVES.
>> BUT IN TERMS OF THAT GENDER
REASSIGNMENT SURGERY, IS THAT
SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS, YOU
KNOW, IN YOUNG TEENAGERS?
OR EVEN OLDER ONES?
OR IS IT GENERALLY SOMETHING
THAT WOULD BE WHEN THEY ARE
ADULTS?
>> THE RESEARCH AND LITERATURE
I'VE SEEN ON THIS LENDS ITSELF
TO UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS
SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS LATER ON
IN AN INDIVIDUAL'S LIFE.
THE MEDICAL COMMUNITY REALLY
RECOGNIZED THAT THEY ARE GOING
THROUGH A SIGNIFICANT STEP WITH
THIS PATIENT AND THEY WANT TO
MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE IN A
POSITION TO MAKE THAT DECISION
FULLY FROM A WELL-INFORMED
POSITION.
>> BUT THIS KIND OF CARE WOULD
INCLUDE PUBERTY-BLOCKING DRUGS
OR HORMONES, AND IF SO, AT WHAT
AGE AND UNDER, AGAIN, WHAT
CONDITIONS WOULD THESE BE
AFFORDED?
>> THERE'S A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT
APPROACHES.
IT'S INDIVIDUALIZED FOR EACH ONE
OF THE PATIENTS.
THERE'S NO STANDARD ON THIS DAY,
AFTER THIS MANY ROUNDS OF
TREATMENT, WE'RE GOING TO START
TREATMENT "X," "Y," OR "Z."
SO IS IT THE SAME IN EVERY CASE?
THE ANSWER IS NO.
THIS SORT OF CARE IS VERY
NATURALLY TAILORED AND
INDIVIDUALIZED FOR THE
INDIVIDUAL WHO IS SEEKING IT.
>> BECAUSE WHAT KIND OF CARE AND
CAUTION DO HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS
ENTER INTO WITH CHILDREN AND
THEIR PARENTS AS THEY GO THROUGH
THIS COURSE OF TREATMENT?
>> THERE ARE A LOT OF
CONVERSATIONS THAT NEED TO
HAPPEN, MEANINGFUL CONVERSATIONS
ABOUT WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR
THE PATIENT.
THE INITIATION OF THINGS LIKE
PUBERTY BLOCKERS OR HORMONE
THERAPY, THOSE ARE IS NOT NOT
NECESSARILY PERMANENT
APPROACHES.
THEY WILL CHANGE THE
INDIVIDUAL'S PHYSIOLOGY IN SOME
WAYS SO THAT IT MORE CLOSELY
REPRESENTS HOW THAT INDIVIDUAL
EXPERIENCES THEIR GENDER, WHICH
IS AN INTERNAL, ALMOST
PSYCHOLOGICAL SORT OF THING.
AND IF THAT CHANGES THE ABILITY
TO WITHDRAW OR STOP RECEIVING
THAT, WILL HAVE THE IMPACT OF
BRINGING THAT PERSON'S GENDER
EXPRESSION BACK TOWARDS THEIR
PHYSIOLOGICAL.
>> AND SO IN OTHER WORDS, THOSE
KINDS OF DRUGS ARE REVERSIBLE.
>> CORRECT.
>> WHY DOES YOUR HEALTHCARE
PRACTICE IT AND OTHERS BELIEVE
THAT IT IS INJURE RUSS TO
PROHIBIT GENDER-AFFIRMING CARE
FOR CHILDREN AND FOR THEM TO
WAIT UNTIL THEY'RE 18 TO GET
THAT KIND OF CARE?
>> WELL, I THINK IF WE LOOK AT
SOMETHING LIKE GENDER DYSPHORIA
AND THE FOLKS WHO ARE SEEKING
THIS OUT, IT'S NOT A COSMETIC OR
ESTHETIC APPROACH.
IT'S NOT A TATTOO.
THIS IS RECOGNIZED TREATMENT,
DEVELOPED WITH PROTOCOLS,
DEVELOPED BY LEADING PROVIDERS
IN THIS SPACE, THE AMERICAN
PSYCHIATRIC ASSOCIATION, THE
AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION,
AND OTHERS, AND THE IDEA THAT
SOMEONE IS EXPERIENCING A
CONDITION THAT HAS TREATMENTS
AVAILABLE FOR IT THAT HAVE BEEN
RIGOROUSLY STUDIED AND PROVEN TO
BE EFFECTIVE AND SAFE FOR THAT
INDIVIDUAL, TO WITHHOLD THAT
BECAUSE OF SOMEONE'S AGE SEEMS
TO BE CRUEL TO ME IN SOME WAYS.
THAT'S WHERE THE JURY INJURY COMES
IN.
WE STIGMA STIGMATIZE FOLKS FOURTH TO
THE FRINGES OF SOCIETY.
>> THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US.
>> THANK YOU.
>> GOVERNOR TONY EVERS WILL VETO