Victories for Trans Kids in the Legislature
In today’s House Education committee meeting, the anti-trans school bathroom bill HB 2314 was held from the agenda, meaning that it received no vote and will not progress to the floor. With a fast-approaching deadline for bills to receive hearings in their chamber of origin, this should be the last we see of this bill in its current form. This is a major victory for trans kids and LGBTQ+ rights in Arizona, and signals that even if the ban comes around again later in the session, it won’t have the support it needs to pass.
Support continues to crumble in the Arizona legislature for bans on gender-affirming care. As both SB 1138 and HB 2608 were set to head into committee tomorrow morning, strike-everything amendments were proposed to radically change their content. In the Senate, an amendment proposed by Senator Pace, who voted against the original transition care ban last week, would transform the bill to align with current standards of care. In the House, an amendment from Representative Parker would abandon the issue altogether, and in a last-minute change, HB 2608 has been dropped from tomorrow’s House Judiciary agenda.
Other anti-trans bills, like the student athlete ban SB 1165, continue to be an active threat, but put together, these developments confirm what we know to be true – anti-LGBTQ+ attacks are orchestrated by a very small minority of special interest groups, and don’t reflect Arizona’s values or priorities. Let’s keep the progress going!
Upcoming Opportunities to Get Involved
For all the following events and more, check out our new events page!
Town Hall: Equality and Fairness For All Americans
5:00 pm February 16, 2022 | register
Tomorrow, join Equality Arizona for a town hall on federal non-discrimination protections and the Equality and Fairness for all Americans Coalition.
Equality Lobby Day Training
5:00 pm February 17 | register
Before next week’s Equality & Fairness Day at the state capitol, join Equality Arizona, GLSEN Phoenix, and other community partners for a policy briefing and storytelling for testimony training.
Equality & Fairness Day at the Capitol
8:30 am February 23 | register
Next week, meet us at the capitol for a press conference on LGBTQ+ inclusive non-discrimination protections and to speak with your legislators about the policy issues that matter to you and your community. Whether you attend online or in-person, you’ll have access to all the same meetings and activities.
