Utah GOP Leaders Ignore Report Supporting Trans Youth Care
Salt Lake City, UT — In a striking move, Utah’s Republican lawmakers are maintaining their ban on gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors, despite a comprehensive state-commissioned report supporting its benefits. The report, released by the University of Utah’s Drug Regimen Review Center, demonstrates that gender-affirming hormone therapy significantly improves mental health and reduces suicide risk in transgender youth.
Commissioned as part of Senate Bill 16, which enacted the ban, the report contradicts prior claims that insufficient data existed to support such care. Over 1,000 pages detail more than 230 studies involving 28,000 trans youths, asserting that outcomes associated with hormone treatments surpass the evidence often needed for FDA approval of high-risk pediatric medicines.
Despite these findings, lawmakers like Gov. Spencer Cox and state Reps. Katy Hall and Bridger Bolinder have dismissed the report, continuing to assert that the risks of treatment outweigh benefits. Advocates argue this rejection jeopardizes lives, highlighting alarming statistics indicating that over 60% of trans students in Utah have contemplated suicide.
As debates continue over trans healthcare policy, many experts stress that gender-affirming care is crucial for the well-being of transgender youth, urging lawmakers to reconsider their stance in light of scientific evidence.
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