By: James Morgan
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (UATV) – The Arkansas legislature passed several bills in March and earlier this month that restricted certain health care and sporting privileges for transgender youth.
One of these bills, the SAFE Act, was vetoed by Governor Asa Hutchinson before being overridden by both the Arkansas House and Senate and signed into law. The SAFE Act bans gender-affirming treatments for minors.
“The Arkansas legislature has decided that they want to play doctor,” said Evelyn Rios Stafford, a Washington County Justice of the Peace and member of the transgender community. “They are inserting themselves in between doctors and families.”
Several other bills have also been considered and even passed without a veto, especially concerning transgender participation in sports.
The Fairness in Women’s Sports Act was signed on March 29, preventing transgender athletes from playing on sporting teams with the gender they identify as.
The GIRLS Act is still being discussed by Arkansas lawmakers, and it would enforce a separation of athletic teams by sex in Arkansas schools and colleges.
Stafford met with the governor earlier this month to discuss these bills and what they would mean for the transgender community.
“When we met with the governor, I think that he is now starting to see the pattern of what the legislature is sending him,” said Stafford. “It’s a pattern that’s ultimately damaging for Arkansas and its reputation.”
The ACLU and several other LGBTQ+ supporting organizations have said on Twitter that they are preparing litigation to fight these and other bills.