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An Oklahoma Senator recently introduced a bill barring any citizen under the age of 26 from receiving gender-affirming care. The Millstone Act, named after a Bible passage, would ban medical providers from administering gender-affirming healthcare for both minors and adults.
Oklahoma’s Millstone Act adds that any healthcare provider who offers gender-affirming care is subject to felony charges. A healthcare provider could also lose their medical license for recommending gender-affirming healthcare.
The Millstone Act is yet another piece of legislation that harms the transgender community. Oklahoma also has a bathroom bill stopping students from using the bathroom that aligns with their gender identity.
The American Civil Liberties Union is currently fighting Oklahoma’s student bathroom bill. If passed, the Millstone Act is expected to be fought in court as well.
Oklahoma lawmakers target transgender residents in new bill
The Millstone Act provides exceptions only if the patient is “”born with a medically verifiable disorder of sex development” or is subject to “imminent danger of death” without gender affirming care. Over 80% of transgender people have considered suicide, while 40% have made an attempt at suicide.
Additionally, Black and BIPOC transgender people are the most targeted group for violent attacks and murders. In 2021, the Human Rights Campaign tracked 50 murders of transgender people, most of whom were BIPOC.
Regina Allen is just one Black trans woman killed in 2022. She was a member of Sisters Helping Each Other Battle Adversity (SHEBA), a local support group for Black transgender women.
The Millstone Acts comes on the heels of another Oklahoma legal action against the trans community. In October, Republican Governor Kevin Stitt blocked the Oklahoma Children’s Hospital at the University of Oklahoma (OU) from receiving funding towards gender transition procedures for minors.
The Millstone Act also bans Medicaid from covering gender-affirming care for patients under 26.
The ACLU is currently tracking anti-trans bills across the country. The ACLU expects to see a rise in the number of bills limiting the rights of trans people in 2022. To learn more about the fight against anti-trans legislation, go to Freedom Oklahoma.