‘Not complete Neanderthals.’ What Kentucky lawmakers said about anti-trans health bill

The Kentucky House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a bill that would dramatically limit access to gender-affirming health care for transgender youth on Thursday.

But despite the 75-22 vote, just two members of the Republican supermajority — including the bill’s primary sponsor, Rep. Jennifer Decker, R-Waddy — of the chamber spoke in support of the bill on the House floor. As the primary sponsor, Decker explained the bill’s contents and fielded questions from her colleagues who opposed the bill.

“Kentucky has an interest in not allowing the continuation of procedures that are proven to create long-term harm,” Decker said.

House Speaker Pro Tem David Meade, R-Stanford, said the GOP caucus agreed with Decker’s defense of the bill being about the protection of children from “irreparable damage.”

“I think the vote speaks for itself,” Meade said. “You saw that most everybody was on the same page. And it just simply went back to that, that issue of protection.”

Democrats — and one Republican — spoke at length about what they said were the many problems with House Bill 470.

Here are some of those remarks.

Rep. Kimberly Moser, R-Taylor Mill

“I think this goes too far. I think it’s discriminatory. I think it eliminates parents’ rights, or concern about parents’ rights in many other pieces of legislation that we’re debating here during the session. Yet, this takes parents’ rights away. We’re imposing this law children, families and health care workforce, and we haven’t even funded things like mental health first aid. I guess we’re gonna have to start doing that. ... So I’m a bit confused about what we’re doing and I just want to be sure that we are being thoughtful about this particular legislation. Again, I appreciate your work. I’d like to say to the rest of the world who’s watching Kentucky: we are not complete Neanderthals. We are generally very thoughtful people, and I really think that you are genuine in your efforts to protect children, and we all want to do that. We just need to be careful not to go too far.”

Moser voted against the bill.

Rep. Tina Bojanowski, D-Louisville

“To the members of this body who are parents: Have you ever had to worry that your child might die by suicide? That any day he might decide that the pain he was feeling is too much to handle? Have you ever had to deal with the tension between trying to get your son off the sofa into the role versus wanting him to stay alive? The weight of having a child who is potentially suicidal is heavy. The pain of having a child die by suicide is unfathomable. Henry Berg-Brousseau dedicated his life to standing up for the vulnerable in the marginalized. Last December he could no longer take the pain from the difficulty in finding acceptance, and he took his own life. Henry was 24 years old and he was trans. According to the Trevor Project, more than half of transgender and non-binary youth seriously consider attempting suicide. ... This bill is not about protecting children. Children who do not receive gender-affirming care will be harmed. Do you think that by making gender-affirming care illegal that you will no longer have trans children? You are wrong. What we will have is more dead trans children.”

Bojanowski voted against the bill.

Rep. Josie Raymond, R-Louisville

“The smugness of this bill. This bill is called ‘an act relating to the protection of children.’ You read that and you think, ‘We’re finally tackling lead paint. We’re gonna do something about guns in schools. We’ve got ideas about reducing vehicle accidents. No, no, no. Instead, this bill says that we, 100 lay people, know better ... parents who are begging us not to do this because it increases the suicide risk for their children and guarantees that their kids will move away from Kentucky and never come home. It says we know better than someone who is told by their child when the child is three and four and five and six and seven, eight and nine and 10, that that child feels different and when that child at 11 is suicidal, because they can’t live the way that feels right for them, don’t worry. Republican legislators in Kentucky know better. And finally, this bill says that we know better than kids who they really are. I cannot imagine the egotism necessary this bill. ... To the trans kids of Kentucky, my loves, I will call you whatever you want.”

Raymond voted against the bill.

Rep. Chad Aull, D-Lexington

“We are the educated body who should understand facts and reasons. Facts like legislation such that this impacts business in tourism. Legislation such as this will cause more people to consider and commit suicide. But when it comes to this issue, some members of this body refuse to consider facts in your decision making process. So I’m going to try another route. Maybe that I can put into words that you understand. St. Paul to the Galatians 3:28. There is neither Jew nor Greek. There is neither slave nor free. There is no male and there’s no female, for all are free, one in Jesus Christ. St. Paul to Romans 12:16. Live in harmony with one another. ... Let’s truly show that love for our neighbors and vote no on this legislation.”

Aull voted against the bill.

Rep. Daniel Grossberg, D-Louisville

“I’m confused as to what we’re doing here today. When I ran for office last year, I made over 5,000 contacts with voters. I listened to their concerns. They told me they need affordable housing and medication, better jobs and education and safer streets. In all that time campaigning for myself and others, not once did someone tell me that we should ban gender-affirming healthcare. While hard working Kentuckians are struggling with kitchen table issues, my Republican colleagues are obsessed with bedroom and bathroom issues. The party that claims to support individual freedom, parental rights and informed consent in medical decisions is now in a self-own of epic proportions imposing government restrictions on what patients, parents and their doctors can do — in total contravention of all known medical doctrine.”

Grossberg voted against the bill.

Rep. Rachel Roberts, D-Newport

“Did you all know that LGBTQ travel is a $100 billion dollar industry? That’s a big pot for us to tap into as we move away from income tax and rely on consumption-based tax... We face a workforce shortage in this state and there is no better way to get folks to consider moving to our state than tourism. But many here have just put up a ‘not welcome’ sign to millions of Americans. Bourbon and horses are rapidly becoming synonymous with hate and intolerance and homophobia. This body continues to put up stop signs at our borders, telling folks Kentucky isn’t open to you.”

Roberts voted against the bill.

Rep. Nancy Tate, R-Brandenburg

“I appreciate the opportunity to support this very important bill before this esteemed body. As a co-sponsor, I would hear that I don’t care about transgender children or their families, and I wholeheartedly believe that you in this body have demonstrated the exact opposite, for which I’m grateful. ... Mr. Speaker, I urge this honorable body to support House Bill 470 to protect our most vulnerable, our children, from this process that is unproven and dangerous.”

Tate voted in support of the bill.

Rep. Pamela Stevenson, D-Louisville

“As an ordained minister, we preach, we teach all the time that God’s decisions are perfect, and that we’re to go out and do what he asked us to do. Take care of the least of these, love above all, do the work for the people that need it. And now we’re saying, ‘He’s imperfect ‘cause we got to fix it.’ We’ve got to insert our opinion on top of God’s design. Don’t tell me it’s about irreparable harm, because you’re not doing anything for the children that are hungry. You’re not doing anything for the children that are in foster care, being abused. You’re not doing what needs to be done for the little black kids that are experiencing racism every day. It is not for irreparable harm; it’s because they’re not like you.”

Stevenson voted against the bill.