This year's Pride celebrations marred by backlash against trans community
MINNEAPOLIS -- Pride celebrations are taking place all around the country.
Next weekend, the festivities are here with a parade and a festival in Loring Park and the Sculpture Garden. But this year, the festivities are tempered by a backlash against transgender people.
Since 2015 when the U.S. Supreme Court in a 5-4 decision made gay marriage legal, Pride events here and around the country have taken on a celebratory atmosphere. But as the Twin Cities gets ready for this year's Pride weekend, there is new concern about LGBTQ2+ rights.
According to the think tank Movement Advancement Projector (MAP), there have been more than 650 bills introduced in state legislatures that MAP categorizes as threatening LGBTQ2+ rights. The New York Times reports that since 2021, 20 states have passed laws that regulate medical care for trans youth. Activists warn that the backlash is only spreading.
Minnesota this legislative session passed protections for the LGBTQ2+ community and also passed a law making Minnesota a trans refuge state. The legislation passed by very narrow margins.
Activists say there is a widespread misunderstanding about treatment options for transgender people and trans youth in particular. Experts say gender transition surgery is incredibly rare for young people, even with their parents' permission.
Dr. Angela Goepferd is the director of the gender health program at Children's Minnesota. She was a guest on WCCO Sunday Morning at 10:30 a.m. WCCO's Esme Murphy asked her about the impact anti-trans legislation is having on trans and LGBTQ2+ young children and teens.
"Kids listen to the news, they hear things, they hear adults talking, and it very much impacts them. In fact, there was a report from the Trevor Project in 2022 that 94% of LGBTQ young people say that the political climate and these types of laws negatively impacts their mental health," Goepferd said.
The Williams Insititute at UCLA estimates there are an estimated 300,000 transgender people in the U.S. While transgender surgery for anyone under 18 is very rare, prescribed puberty blockers used to delay the onset of puberty are more common. Experts say hormone therapy is generally reserved for people over the age of 18, but occasionally is prescribed for minors with parental permission.
You can watch WCCO Sunday Morning with Esme Murphy and Joseph Dames every Sunday at 6 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.