by Michael J. Marino
Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee heard over five hours of testimony on Jan. 27 regarding Senate Bill 99, a bill sponsored by Sen. John Fuller (R-Kalispell), which would restrict Montana children from receiving gender affirming medical care. A total of 137 people came either to support or oppose the bill, dubbed by the sponsor the “Youth Health Protection Act.”
Representative for the City of Bozeman, S.K. Rossi, provides opponent testimony regarding SB 99, a bill that, if enacted, would prohibit youth access to gender transition services in Montana. (Courtesy photo)
SB 99 seeks to prohibit “certain medical and surgical treatments [used] to treat minors with gender dysphoria,” and would penalize doctors with professional misconduct for violating the bill’s provisions.
“Protecting children from surgical procedures that are purely cosmetic and irreversible is necessary and proper,” said Sen. Fuller. He added, “For those that claim that this bill is injecting government into the sacred relationship of a family and their health provider, I would argue that is a false premise. Health professionals take an oath to do no harm,” and Fuller believes “altering the physical appearance of a child” – before the age of 18 – is “unconscionable.”
Among the 45 supporters of SB 99 was Walt Heyer, a man who claims to have transitioned and lived as a female for several years. When Heyer began having doubts about this decision, he then had additional therapy to “detransition” back to being a male. He started a website to help others who’ve faced similar struggles.
“I’ve got over 10,000 emails that have come to me over the last 13 years from people who are asking for help to detransition or to talk about their sex change regret,” said Heyer. He said the ages go down as low as 12 years old to 74 and “everywhere in between,” in terms of who he has helped via his website.
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