Today, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster signed into law H.4624, a broad intrusion into medically necessary healthcare for transgender South Carolinians. The law, which takes effect immediately, does the following:
- Bans medically necessary healthcare for transgender youth under the age of 18 in South Carolina, including puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and surgery.
- Prohibits public funds and Medicaid from being used to cover the cost of transition-related healthcare for transgender people of any age – which could result in providers of gender-affirming care who receive public funds to restrict care, and would impact transgender people insured through the state employee healthcare plan.
- Encourages school professionals to “out” students to their parents if they ask to go by a different name or pronouns, potentially before they are ready to share.
Over the past five months, thousands of South Carolinians have taken action against H.4624, with families of trans youth, countless medical professionals, and educators all in agreement that this bill is a cruel and dangerous assault on trans youth and adults in South Carolina that ignores the guidance of every major medical organization. Recent polling commissioned by AFFA Action found that 71% of South Carolinians oppose bills like H.4624.
There is strong legal precedent in cases across the country indicating that many of the provisions of H.4624 are patently unconstitutional. Many courts have ruled against bans on gender-affirming care for minors – and just last month the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit ruled that exclusions of transition-related care in West Virginia’s Medicaid system and North Carolina’s state employee healthcare plan are unconstitutional. South Carolina’s laws are controlled by the 4th Circuit’s legal precedent.
Chase Glenn (he/him pronouns), a leader in the SC United for Justice & Equality coalition and the Executive Director of Alliance for Full Acceptance, said today:
“Across the state, from the Lowcountry to the Upstate, South Carolinians are mourning the passage of H.4624, which will make it immeasurably harder for transgender youth and many adults to access the life-saving healthcare that they need and deserve. But let me be clear: This loss does not crumble a movement. Our movement supporting transgender people in South Carolina is louder and stronger than it’s ever been. We’ve marched at the State House, we’ve told our stories, and we’ve made sure our lawmakers heard from us. Now, we will do everything in our power to support our community through this crisis.”
With H.4624 immediately in effect, advocates have launched resources to support families navigating this challenging period. Families of transgender youth in South Carolina are now eligible to apply for support from the Southern Trans Youth Emergency Project (STYEP), a regional project of the Campaign for Southern Equality, led in partnership in SC with We Are Family, Uplift Outreach Center, and the Harriet Hancock Center. The project helps transgender youth whose access to gender-affirming care has been disrupted by government policies. Through STYEP, families can receive accurate information about H.4624; patient navigation to identify out-of-state gender-affirming care providers; and emergency grants of $500 for immediate needs, including travel, medication, and other logistics. Families can request support at www.southernequality.org/SCResources.
Transgender adults who may be impacted by H.4624 should contact the Campaign for Southern Equality’s informational hotline, which is available at https://southernequality.org/SCHealthcareHelp/
Ivy Hill (they/them pronouns), Director of Gender Justice for the Campaign for Southern Equality and a lifelong South Carolinian, said:
“It has been an honor to organize alongside so many courageous trans and queer South Carolinians – and I’m proud that our community staved off this oppressive anti-trans healthcare legislation for more than three years. Now that this attack has become law, it’s up to all of us to protect the continuity of care for as many people as we can. That’s what this project is all about: Supporting trans youth and their families and making sure they know that no law can stop the transgender community from charting our paths to a future where all of us can thrive and live authentically.”
A surge of anti-transgender legislation like this has passed all over the country in the past two years; until 2021, no state had laws that banned transgender youth from accessing this healthcare. A map of the current landscape is available here.
Advocates from the SC United for Justice & Equality coalition are available to speak with the media about the legislation and its damaging impact transgender South Carolinians.
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