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The Tennessee State Legislature
passed a bill that would
ban the use of puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and surgical operations on children in order to "change" their gender. The legislation now awaits Gov. Bill Lee's signature.
Lawmakers in the State House passed the legislation 77 to 16, with three Democrats voting with the Republicans.
After allowing for a grace period for those who have already begun to attempt a transition, the bill would authorize the attorney general to investigate healthcare providers who violate the ban, who could be
fined up to $25,000.House Majority Leader William Lamberth remarked that "These children do not need these medical procedures to be able to flourish as adults."
"They need mental health treatment. They need love and support, and many of them need to be able to grow up to become the individuals that they were intended to be," Lamberth went on to say.
Similar bills have gained traction in various other Republican-led states, including Nebraska, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and South Carolina.
Meanwhile, the American Civil Liberties Union has
signaled that it intends to challenge the bill in court if it is signed into law. "All Tennesseans should have access to the health care they need to survive and thrive," Lucas Cameron-Vaughn, an ACLU-TN staff attorney, remarked in a statement before going on to argue "Legislators are risking trans young people's health, wellbeing and safety with this dangerous legislation."
Tennessee lawmakers promised to take action after an investigation from Daily Wire host Matt Walsh found that Vanderbilt officials had referred to transitions, particularly sex change operations, as "big money makers."
Comment: Protests against the deteriorating living standards are surging across Europe - France has already recorded just one protest with a massive 2 million people in attendance; Spain had well over 500,000 - and it's likely that as a variety of avoidable issues converge, life for the many is only going to get worse, and protests will