INDIANAPOLIS — Rainbow flags and signs of support for the queer community were seen across the statehouse on Monday. That support isn't something the community is feeling from lawmakers.
"We've seen a lot of anti LGBTQ bills filed across the country but here in Indiana this is really unprecedented,” Katie Blair, the Director of Advocacy and Public Policy at the ACLU of Indiana, said. “We've really held the line here and now all of a sudden we've seen this huge influx. "
According to the ACLU, there are currently 22 bills in the legislature that would negatively impact LGBTQ Hoosiers. Several of them would affect transgender youth.
Some would ban gender affirming care and others would censor discussion in classrooms surrounding the queer community. The list of bills the ACLU opposes can be foundhere. For families with transgender children, if these bills become law, they could be detrimental to their way of life.
"If the harshest bills become law, we would have to leave the state," said Nathaniel Clawson.
Nathaniel and his partner Beth Clawson are raising their transgender daughter Kirin, 10.
Her parents say the decision surrounding gender affirming care doesn’t happen overnight.
“As far as gender affirming care, we use the pronouns that are her pronouns. We allow her to dress and present accordingly and we ask the people around her do the same,” Beth Clawson said. "Really the people that need to be making that decision are us, our child and her doctors — not the lawmakers of Indiana. "
While LGBTQ advocates were on one level of the statehouse, another group of people were there saying they were sticking up for children. John Graves took it upon himself to show up at the statehouse and weighed in on the issue.
“The child under the age of 16 is not able to consent to many things until they are 18 or older. How can they make the decision at such a young age?” Graves said.
WRTV's Meredith Hackler responded “So, you think they should just wait until they are 18?"
Graves responded "Yes, wait until they are 18.”
The Clawsons say gender affirming surgeries aren't something that happen very often before the age of 18. They hope by sharing their journey, lawmakers will see that these laws are harming families more than helping them.
"If legislators don't see who this is affecting, then they are just going to keep pushing, so we have to speak up, “ Nathaniel said.
We reached out to several lawmakers who authored the bills which would impact the LGBTQ community and only one sent us a statement.
Representative Michelle Davis, a Republican representing District 58, is the co-author of House Bill 1232. This bill would prohibit gender affirming care.
"The goal of this bill is to protect vulnerable Hoosier children from making life-changing and irreversible decisions. We do not know the long-term effects of taking hormones or having a major surgery as an adolescent. We should continue to support children who may be struggling by ensuring they have access to compassionate mental health care," Davis' statement read.
Most of these bills are waiting on a hearing in committee.
