White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre spoke out again on April 6 against the spate of anti-LGBTQ+ bills in legislatures across the country, calling this “one of the worst weeks so far” for proposals that have become law.
“Three anti-LGBTQ laws have been enacted so far this week in Kansas, Indiana and Idaho,” Jean-Pierre said near the beginning of Thursday’s press briefing. “Just yesterday, the North Dakota Senate passed 10 anti-LGBTQ bills in just one day, a single-day record.”
Kansas, the press secretary noted, became the 20th state banning transgender students from participating in school sports, while Indiana became the 14th state banning guideline-directed gender-affirming healthcare for trans and gender nonconforming youth.
“According to the Human Rights Campaign, more than 50 percent of transgender youth in the U.S., which is estimated to be more than 150,000 kids, live in states in which transgender youth have lost access to or at risk of losing access to gender-affirming care,” Jean-Pierre said.
“Look, this is awful news,” she said. “Let’s be very clear about that. LGBTQI+ kids are resilient. They are fierce. They fight back. They’re not going anywhere. And we have their back. This administration has their back.”
Jean-Pierre lauded the youth who have led protests and walkouts to voice their opposition to “this legislative bullying” before directly addressing America’s young LGBTQ+ folks:
“You are loved just as you are, just the way you are. And if you’re feeling overwhelmed, you call 988, the national crisis hotline, and dial the number ‘three’ to talk to a counselor who has been specifically trained to support LGBTQI+ kids.”
Jean-Pierre added, “This is a new service that the Biden administration is proud to offer during these incredibly hard times for these trans kids.”
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