The White House Press Secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, recently condemned bills across the nation that aim to ban medicalized gender transitions for minors, calling them “a dangerous attack on the rights of parents.”
Jean-Pierre emphasized that parents have the right to make the best health care decisions for their children, including decisions related to gender transitions. She further stated that LGBTQ youth are “resilient” and “not going anywhere,” making it clear that the Biden administration will continue to advocate for children to make irreversible life-altering decisions with their bodies.
WH press sec: "LGBTQI+ kids are resilient, they're fierce, they fight back, they're not going anywhere, and we have their back." pic.twitter.com/gl903XVfck
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) April 6, 2023
Jean-Pierre cited statistics from the Human Rights Campaign, which reports that over 50 percent of transgender youth in the US, estimated to be more than 150,000 kids, live in states where they have lost access to or are at risk of losing access to so-called “gender-affirming care.”
She called this “awful news” and commended the youth across the country who have organized protests and school walkouts to challenge legislation from democratically elected governments.
Jean-Pierre expressed the administration’s commitment to fighting for the rights of trans kids and the LGBTQI+ community more broadly, emphasizing that “no one should have to be brave just to be themselves.”
She believes that it is up to the child and their parents to decide on medicalized gender transitions, and that legislators should not be making these decisions.
The recent fatal shooting at a Nashville Christian school carried out by Audrey Hale, who identified as transgender, prompted Jean-Pierre to proclaim that the transgender community was “under attack” by so-called “anti-trans bills” across the nation.
She also acknowledged that these political attacks can take a toll on the mental health of LGBTQI+ youth, saying “I want to say directly to LGBTQI+ kids, you are loved just as you are, just the way you are.”
