Advocacy: Oppose Georgia Bills SB 30 & SB 39
Today (February 6, 2025) the Georgia Senate passed Senate Bill 39 -
“AN ACT To amend Chapter 18 of Title 45, Chapter 4 of Title 49, and Chapter 1 of Title 50 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the employees’ insurance and benefits plans, public assistance, and general provisions relative to state government, respectively, so as to prohibit coverage of expenses for gender-affirming care under the state health benefit plan or with any state funds; to provide for definitions; to provide for limited exceptions; to prohibit state healthcare facilities and healthcare providers employed by the state from providing gender-affirming care; to provide for related matters; to provide for legislative findings; to provide for an effective date and applicability; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.”
In summary, this bill prohibits coverage of gender-affirming care under the state health benefit plan, in state-funded medical assistance programs, and in state healthcare facilities to adults and adolescents covered by their parents’ state health benefit plan or seeking care at a state healthcare facility. If any child, adolescent or adult has had gender dysphoria listed as a diagnosis in their medical chart, it could be grounds for their state funded medical assistance or health benefit plan to refuse to pay for their routine medical care. Including medications that they may have been on for decades, that they need to live. If a transman is refused testosterone, then he has to supplement with estrogen. Would he be allowed estrogen, if he wanted to deal with the dysphoria that comes from taking estrogen? Unlikely, if this bill is interpreted at the broadest level possible. Thankfully hormone treatments are far more accessible and affordable without going through health insurance plans than they were 30 years ago. For Georgians relying on state-funded medical assistance programs, it’s probably a cost they can’t afford.
From Georgia Equality’s email today about the bill passing shares our sentiments better than we could:
“The Georgia State Health Benefit Plan currently covers over half a million Georgians, including employees of state agencies, public schools, and retirees…. this bill goes far beyond what proponents advertise– applying to transgender people of all ages and banning any medical care associated with the treatment of gender dysphoria, from hormone treatments to mental health support. It is government overreach, plain and simple.”
Tomorrow, we’re expecting State Bill 30 to be voted on in the senate. State Bill 30 reads:
“prohibit [hospital and related institutions from] prescribing or administering certain hormone therapies and puberty-blocking medications for certain purposes to minors; to provide for definitions; to provide for limited exceptions; to provide for a remedy for a parent or guardian of a minor; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.”
If this upsets you, too, for yourself or someone you love, call and email and snail mail your state representatives asking them to oppose State Bills 30 & 39. Don’t know who your Georgia House of Representatives representative is? You can plug your address into this page to find out who and what their contact information is.
Here is my planning document for what I emailed to my representatives, if you need a general approach to jump from. I also plan to handwrite letters to my representatives and the Governor this weekend so hopefully they arrive before SB 30 & 39 go up for vote in the House of Representatives and for approval or veto by Governor Kemp.
As Trump’s lackeys make sweeping changes at the national level, many of us are feeling powerless. Our power to influence change starts at the local level. Local representatives are far more likely to pay attention to phone calls, voicemails, emails, and especially postal office delivered letters from their constituents. Please consider taking an hour to prepare your long form and short form statements and make those contacts this week, preferably tomorrow.
