Fair Wisconsin’s Testimony in Opposition to AB104

Now I will turn my attention to Assembly Bill 104. I am grateful for the opportunity to speak in opposition to it, but I am disheartened and disappointed that I have to.

I am disheartened and disappointed that apparently, some elected political leaders in this legislature looked at the current situation in our country and state and said, “let’s double-down on attacking trans kids.” An elected political leader in this building saw the attacks coming from the United States federal government – rhetorical attacks and lies spread from the President, threats of investigation from DOJ, attempts by HHS to hold federal funding hostage as a mechanism to eliminate access to medically-necessary health care for trans kids – someone saw those attacks and said, “let’s pile on.” They said that even after seeing the result of those federal attacks and threats in the form of Wisconsin hospitals deciding to pause this health care – care these hospitals know these kids need. Instead of supporting our kids and protecting their access to the health care that makes it possible for them to thrive… instead of looking out for their general welfare, which is your job as elected officials in this state government, someone decided “now is the time to attack our trans kids even more.”

I think that is shameful. And I am also so thankful that there are so many of us here in this room and across the state who are here to wrap our arms around our trans kids and show them the love and support every kid deserves. At least they have us. I wish they had a government that loved them and believed in them as much as we did. Interestingly enough, I’ll point out that the government of Utah does, as evidenced by the 1,051 page report that their legislature commissioned entitled “Gender Affirming Medical Treatments for Pediatric Patients with Gender Dysphoria” that came out in May of 2025 (and that I submitted as part of my testimony opposing SB 405). It is the most rigorous, systematic review of evidence for youth gender-affirming care, and it finds that it is safe, it is effective, and it firmly declares that restrictions on gender-affirming care for youth are not justifiable.

Trans kids know who they are. Their medical providers know what they need. Their families want to meet their needs. Stop inserting politicians into their live-saving health care. No one needs that. Injecting politics into health care forces trans kids to fight to just exist when other kids do not have to do that. It is in your power to stop forcing them to fight. In fact, it is in your power to support them in thriving. As bills like this one (and the five other anti-trans bills that have received hearings in the past eight days) make Wisconsin feel less and less like home, and hateful policies based on lies from the federal government make this country feel less and less like home, the least we can do is allow for our kids to grow up in a body that feels like home, and that is what medically-necessary gender-affirming health care makes possible.

Gender-affirming care for transgender youth is medically-necessary care, just like the kids who receive it – and all kids – are necessary. It is age-appropriate, just as it is appropriate to believe someone at any age when they tell you they know who they are and how they want to live, a perspective backed by rigorous scientific evidence. For young people, it is accessed with informed consent of the patient and their parents. It is individualized, just like the young people who receive it are, themselves, unique individuals. And it is high-quality, just like the bright future this state has ahead of us when all our children thrive.

Ensuring a bright future for Wisconsin is your job as elected leaders – that’s what our state constitution means when it states that “we, the people of Wisconsin” establish our state constitution in order to “form a more perfect government… and promote the general welfare.” To be clear, we in this room are the people, and you are supposed to be the more perfect government. I should know, I used to teach social studies.

My favorite thing to teach as a middle school US history teacher was civics. Getting eighth graders to understand the purpose and structure of their government, and the importance of getting involved in the civic process – that was the dream job. One day, when I was teaching a lesson on the Bill of Rights, I distinctly remember one student blurting out, “Wow, our government is all up in people’s business to help people.” I thought it was a rather astute observation. That was ten years ago, that student had three trans classmates, and his friends all had access to the life-affirming health care they needed. I hope he’s listening today. I hope he’s tracking these attacks on his friends’ ability to thrive. I hope he’s watching. Because I know he is voting.

To this esteemed committee and the entire Wisconsin legislature: you must stop debating the humanity, validity, even the existence of these children. You must stop doubting the love and support their families hold for them and the care their medical professionals provide them. You must guarantee access to their medically-necessary, individualized, age-appropriate, high-quality, respectful health care. The struggles trans kids and their families face are not a self-fulfilling prophecy. They are created by antagonism, and today, they are created by you. It does not have to be this way.

Please vote no on Assembly Bill 104, and never bring it back. Thank you.