After the House Education committee meets next Tuesday to hear the trans-exclusion bill HB 2314, two separate committees in the state House and Senate will hear two versions of a ban on gender-affirming care for youth – the very next morning, at the same time. In an 8 AM meeting next Wednesday, the House Judiciary committee will consider HB 2608, a duplicate of SB 1138, while the Senate Health and Human Services committee reconvenes at 8:30 AM the same day to consider a new version of SB 1138, which we expect to be pared down to try to win over Senator Pace, who voted against the bill last week. Friday the 18th is the last day for bills to be considered in committee in their chamber of origin, so we’re facing additional urgency from anti-trans advocates to pass these bills before the deadline.
These Bills Aren’t Based in Sound Medicine
Every treatment SB 1138 and HB 2608 would ban for transgender youth is regularly prescribed throughout adolescence for a variety of reasons, some of which are even directly acknowledged in the bills themselves. Sexual development is a process of change for everyone, and from hormone therapy to surgery, medical intervention is a feature on many paths through puberty. Transition is only one path among them, and trans kids deserve the same access to care as their peers.
What You Can Do Right Now
This is a crucial moment, and we need your help to shut these bills down before they move any further. Call and email the members of the committees from the lists below to ask them to vote no on anti-trans legislation, and sign up in RTS to voice your opposition to both bills. With two simultaneous meetings, it’s not likely that everyone will be able to give testimony on both bills, but you can still sign up for both.
Equality Arizona will be represented in both meetings, and with the support of some of our national partners, we’ll be hosting an advocacy training Monday at noon to provide guidance for effective testimony.
To find who represents you in the legislature, use our search tool. That personal connection helps when asking legislators to hear you out.
House Judiciary Committee Members (considering HB 2608)
Walter "Walt" Blackman (Chairman): wblackman@azleg.gov | (602) 926-3043
Neal Carter: ncarter@azleg.gov | (602) 926-5761
Domingo DeGrazia: ddegrazia@azleg.gov | (602) 926-3153
Mark W. Finchem: mfinchem@azleg.gov | (602) 926-3122
Melody Hernandez: mhernandez@azleg.gov | (602) 926-3449
Christopher Mathis: cmathis@azleg.gov | (602) 926-3138
Quang H. Nguyen: qnguyen@azleg.gov | (602) 926-3258
Jacqueline Parker (Vice-Chairman): jparker@azleg.gov | (602) 926-3375
Jennifer Pawlik: jpawlik@azleg.gov | (602) 926-3193
Beverly Pingerelli: bpingerelli@azleg.gov | (602) 926-3396
Senate Health and Human Services Committee Members (considering SB 1138)
Nancy Barto (Chairman): nbarto@azleg.gov | (602) 926-5766
Rosanna Gabaldon: rgabaldon@azleg.gov | (602) 926-3424
Sally Ann Gonzales: sgonzales@azleg.gov | (602) 926-3278
Tyler Pace (Vice-Chairman): tpace@azleg.gov | (602) 926-5760
Wendy Rogers: wrogers@azleg.gov | (602) 926-3042
Thomas Shope: tshope@azleg.gov | (602) 926-3012
Raquel Terán: rteran@azleg.gov | (602) 926-3308
Kelly Townsend: ktownsend@azleg.gov | (602) 926-4467
