Today, The Trevor Project celebrated the defeat of House Bill 113 in the Montana House of Representatives, which would have prohibited licensed medical professionals from providing best-practice medical care to transgender and nonbinary youth. The bill was voted down yesterday during its third reading and then again today when a motion to reconsider failed. However, House Bill 112, which would restrict transgender women and girls from playing on school sports teams at the elementary school to college levels that correspond with their gender identity, continued on its procedural path to the Montana Senate. Both bills were initially passed by the House on Monday.
“We are overjoyed for the transgender and nonbinary youth of Montana to see this dangerous bill defeated. These proposed bans on gender-affirming medical care are based in fear, and contradict the resounding conclusion of nearly every major medical association in the United States. We urge Montana lawmakers to also reconsider the ban on transgender student-athletes, and to stop it from moving forward altogether,” said Sam Brinton (they/them pronouns), VP of Advocacy and Government Affairs for The Trevor Project. “Thank you to all of the state and local advocates on the ground who worked tirelessly to make this victory happen and to the bipartisan coalition of lawmakers who voted today in the best interest of transgender and nonbinary youth’s mental health and well-being. Our work isn’t done, and HB 112 still needs to be stopped, but this brave vote will save young lives in Montana.”
Relevant research:
- A peer-reviewed study by The Trevor Project found that transgender and nonbinary youth who report experiencing discrimination based on their gender identity had more than double the odds of attempting suicide in the past year compared to those who did not experience gender identity-based discrimination.
- A recent national survey conducted by The Trevor Project between October and December of 2020 found that over 90% of LGBTQ youth said that recent politics negatively influenced their well-being.
- According to The Trevor Project’s 2020 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health, more than half (52%) of transgender and nonbinary youth seriously considered suicide in the past year, compared to 40% of all LGBTQ youth respondents. However, trans and nonbinary youth who reported having pronouns respected by all or most people in their lives attempted suicide at half the rate of those who did not have their pronouns respected.
About The Trevor Project
The Trevor Project is the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning (LGBTQ) young people. The Trevor Project offers a suite of 24/7 crisis intervention and suicide prevention programs, including TrevorLifeline, TrevorText, and TrevorChat as well as the world’s largest safe space social networking site for LGBTQ youth, TrevorSpace. Trevor also operates an education program with resources for youth-serving adults and organizations, an advocacy department fighting for pro-LGBTQ legislation and against anti-LGBTQ rhetoric/policy positions, and a research team to discover the most effective means to help young LGBTQ people in crisis and end suicide. If you or someone you know is feeling hopeless or suicidal, our trained crisis counselors are available 24/7 at 1-866-488-7386 via chat www.TheTrevorProject.org/Help, or by texting START to 678-678.
If you or someone you know is feeling hopeless or suicidal, contact The Trevor Project’s TrevorLifeline 24/7 at 1-866-488-7386. Counseling is also available 24/7 via chat every day at TheTrevorProject.org/Help, or by texting START to 678-678.
