Idaho Gov. Brad Little – Photo: Phil White / Office of the Governor of Idaho
Idaho Republican Gov. Brad Little signed a bill into law prohibiting Medicaid and state employee health plans from covering the cost of gender-affirming medications and procedures for low-income transgender adults and minors.
House Bill 668 declares that public funds “shall not reimburse or provide coverage for any surgical operation or medical intervention…for purposes of altering the appearance of an individual in order to affirm the individual’s perception of the individual’s sex in a way that is inconsistent with the individual’s biological sex.”
The bill contains exemptions for certain types of surgical operations or medical interventions, such as those deemed medically necessary; those meant to force intersex people or those with “a medically verifiable genetic disorder of sex development” to conform to binary bodily stereotypes; and those used to help a person “de-transition” or to treat an “infection, injury, disease or disorder that has been caused or exacerbated by” gender-affirming surgery.
It also declares that any transition-related procedures performed to alter a person’s appearance to align with their gender identity, rather than their assigned sex at birth, does not qualify as “medically necessary.”
Because the bill prohibits “public funds,” state employees, like teachers or government workers, are barred from using their employer-sponsored health plan to cover the cost of gender-affirming treatments for themselves or their dependents, reports the Idaho Capital Sun.
The measure’s backers argue that it is necessary to prevent taxpayer dollars from being wasted on efforts to affirm a person’s gender identity.
A sponsor of a nearly identical measure argued that the bill does not completely ban transgender people from obtaining coverage for medical procedures or medications — just as long as those aren’t related to their transition.
“While I have great compassion for those who struggle with these issues [of gender dysphoria], I also understand that the idea of actually creating the function of the opposite sex is a scientific impossibility,” State Rep. Julianne Young (R-Blackfoot), the sponsor of the similar-in-scope House Bill 520 said during debate.
House Bill 668 ultimately passed the Idaho House of Representatives by a 58-11 vote, and the Idaho Senate by a 26-8 vote. If no legal challenge is mounted against the law, it will take effect on July 1.
An Idaho bar is rabidly trolling the LGBTQ community by celebrating "Heterosexual Awesomeness Month" throughout the month of June, during which it will offer specials to patrons who identify as heterosexual.
The Old State Saloon, in the city of Eagle, announced in a May 29 Facebook post it would offer the promotion throughout June, which the LGBTQ community recognizes as Pride Month.
"June will be OSS's inaugural Heterosexual Awesomeness Month!" the post reads. "Come join us all month to celebrate heterosexuals, for without them, none of us would be here!"
A Missouri Republican seeking the secretary of state's office is leaning into a provocative campaign video designed to portray her as "tough" while trying to simultaneously troll liberals and court conservative voters ahead of her party's primary election on August 6.
Valentina Gomez, a 24-year-old real estate investor, was most recently seen in a campaign video running through St. Louis's Soulard District, a predominantly LGBTQ neighborhood.
In the video, Gomez, wearing a bulletproof Kevlar vest, says, "In America, you can be anything you want. So don't be weak and gay. Stay fucking hard."
On Tuesday, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster signed a ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors into law.
The law took effect immediately and officially made South Carolina the 25th state to place restrictions on gender-affirming care.
Under South Carolina's law, health professionals can be disciplined for prescribing gender-affirming treatments, such as puberty blockers, hormones, or gender confirmation surgery, to patients under the age of 18 seeking to transition.
The law also requires school administrators to notify parents or guardians if a child identifies by a gender that does not match their assigned sex at birth, or asks to use a name or nickname other than their legal name or pronouns that do not match the sex on their original birth certificate.
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