A bill that would ban gender-affirming care for transgender youth that Idaho Governor Brad Little has signed gained a lot of support and criticisms from the Transgender community. The ban includes puberty blockers, hormones, and surgeries related to gender-affirming care.
Little had until Wednesday, 10:35 am, to veto or sign the bill, which had already been approved by the Idaho House of Representatives and the Senate. Flooded with calls, he has decided to put the bill into law, which will take effect on January 2024.
Idaho Governor Signed the House Bill 71
Madison Hardy, the press secretary of Little, has told the Idaho Capital Sun that the Governor's Office has been flooded with calls, letters, and emails from the constituents pushing Little to decide whether to veto or sign House Bill 71. According to Idaho Capital Sun, the law had led to more constituent contacts than any other legislation this year, according to Hardy.
More than 14,800 emails and phone calls in favor of the bill and more than 6,500 emails and phone calls urging Little to reject the bill had been received by the Governor's office as of Tuesday morning. 3,200 were phone calls in favor of the law, and 1,500 were against it.
Because of this large number of calls, some calls unrelated to the bill should have been addressed. The Governor's office worked on this matter and took some action on the Information Technology services to introduce an automated phone tree system. This system has enabled the votes to be counted even though the Governor's staff could not respond.
However, distinguishing between calls from constituents in Idaho and those from people in other states took a lot of work for the office because keeping track of the calls' sources took a lot of work. This was one of the challenges Hardy claimed the office was facing.
Two conservative groups pushed their supporters to contact Governor's Little office and gave their support for the bill. The Idaho Freedom Foundation and the Idaho Family Policy Center have started campaigns to get people in Idaho to support the legislation.
Also Read: Activists in North Idaho Combat Christian Nationalism Across Religious and Secular Divides
Different Reactions From Conservatives and Supporters of Gender-Affirming Care on Minors
According to News-Press Now, the Idaho Family Policy Center, one of the Christian organizations mentioned above, has commenced a "massive grassroot mobilization campaign" to urge the community to call the Governor's office and pass the bill. The group's president, Blaine Conzatti, reported that approximately 2,500 residents of Idaho had emailed Governor Little via their online Action Center. They have also started a $5,000 robocall that automatically connects to the Governor's phone lines.
The discussion regarding this issue of gender-affirming care to minors was initiated early this year, and it came to the lawmakers' agreement to create House Bill 71. According to Boise State Public Radio, testimonies have been given by the youth and their families about the possible consequences this might cause when restricted. But despite the testimonies, the legislators still pushed through and did not make exceptions for the trans kids undergoing treatment.
The state's Democratic Party chair and assistant minority leader in the House, Lauren Necochea, voiced her rage and sorrow over Governor Little's decision to sign the legislation into law. She charged him with restricting parents' ability to make medical decisions for their kids and criminalizing transgender youth suicidality-prevention therapies.
Related Article: Controversial Idaho Bill Criminalizing Assistance for Minors' Abortions without Parental Consent Passes Legislature
