Trans Clothing Swap and Anti-Trans Legislation
We'll start with the stellar news - Lavender Rhino and Spectrum, a registered Student Organization devoted to the support and advocacy of the LGBTQIA2+ community on the Arkansas Tech University Campus, are partnering up to host a Trans Clothing Swap!
If you’re wondering what that is- it’s just what it sounds like! Clothing exchanges have provided an important space for LGBT people for years. The exchanges give queer and trans people access to clothing that helps them express their gender identity and orientation. It allows them to browse and try on clothing in a comfortable environment without having to break the bank. It will be held on March 30th. More info coming soon, but go ahead and mark your calendars and start cleaning out those closets.
Now for the less-than-stellar news. Arkansas seems to be continuing the tradition of trying to "focus on the family" before actually focusing on, and understanding, the issue. Case in point, SB199 - A bill concerning medical malpractice and gender transition in minors; and to create the protecting minors from medical malpractice act of 2023.
According to AP News, "During the two-hour hearing Monday on Arkansas’ malpractice proposal, some exchanges drew gasps and jeers in the committee room. At one point, Republican Sen. Matt McKee asked Gwendolyn Herzig, a transgender woman from Little Rock who testified against the ban, about her genitalia. Herzig called the question “highly inappropriate.”
McKee’s question came after Herzig said that one of the biggest obstacles that transgender people face is a lack of empathy. “Bills like SB199 are designed to hinder, not help, Arkansans,” she said."
These bans are opposed by nearly every major medical organization, including the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, who say gender-affirming care is safe when properly administered. Opponents of such treatments argue that minors are too young to make decisions about their gender identities, even though minors with gender dysphoria who don't get proper medical care have dramatically increased risks of suicide and serious depression. Bills like these only make these already vulnerable groups of people even more vulnerable and unhappy when all they want is not struggle so much.
The bill has been endorsed by a Senate committee.
We are doing our best to keep up with all of these proposed laws and bills but we hope the Arkansas legislature starts focusing on actual issues that can improve conditions for Arkansans instead of punching down on those they disagree with.
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