Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) plans to reintroduce the “Protecting Children’s Innocence Act” sometime over the next week.
The bill, which Greene introduced in August during the last Congress, would bar sex transitions or other medical interventions on minors with gender dysphoria.
Specifically, the bill makes it a felony to perform such procedures on a minor and allows those who do so to face civil liability.
Many reports have cropped up of people who surgically or chemically “transitioned” only to later regret their decision.
Several transgender procedures, including both surgery and drugs, are irreversible.
The process of surgically reshaping genitals into a rough facsimile of the opposite sex cannot be undone; nor can double mastectomies, the removal of breasts, which are popular among biological women who identify as men. Cross-sex hormones can also have the effect of permanently sterilizing a man or woman.
For instance, one of the most popular chemical solutions among men identifying as women is Lupron, a drug that until recently was used to chemically castrate sex offenders. Now, boys identifying as girls all over the nation are receiving the drug.
Transgender ideology, which is prevalent among those of Generation Z and their children, has also received increasing pushback from Republicans.
During the third day of the Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC) conference, Greene said Republicans have “a responsibility” to fight against transgender ideology for the protection of children.
“When it comes to kids, the Republican Party has a duty,” Greene said. “We have a responsibility to be the party that protects children.”
Greene also referenced a video posted by the San Francisco Gay Men’s Choir in which the group sang about how they were “coming for your children.”
The brains of young adults continue to develop until their mid-to-late 20s. Opponents of transgender ideology have insisted that the decision to “transition” is not one that a minor has the mental or developmental capacity to make.
Greene called it a “lie” that children “could change their gender before they’re grown up, before they’ve even finished puberty, before they’ve developed into an adult, before they’re old enough to vote, before they’re old enough to graduate from high school; before they’re old enough to get a tattoo, put permanent ink on their skin; before they’re old enough to buy nicotine [or] alcohol.”
During the 117th Congress, Democrats placed an effective gag rule on the use of biological familial terms like “mother,” “father,” “sister,” and “brother.”
Greene said, “I ended up putting a sign up on my door that said, ‘There’s only two genders, male and female. Trust the science,’” Greene said to a burst of applause.
“The victims of this industry are kids,” Greene said.
Children often choose to transition, Greene said, due to self-esteem issues, which are common while growing up.
“These are kids who’re confused about who they are,” Greene said.
Others, Greene noted, come from foster care homes, meaning that they have likely already faced abuse.
“These victims come in thinking they’re gonna find happiness and they’re gonna find security in their identity because they think they can change their gender,” she added.
Greene’s bill will need the green light of Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to move through the House.
The measure will likely win broad GOP support and possibly a handful of votes from moderate Democrats in the lower chamber. However, it would face tougher hurdles in the Senate, where such legislation would need the support of at least 11 Democrats to advance.
Even if it overcomes this challenge, the bill would need the approval of President Joe Biden, who has long indicated that his administration supports transgender ideology.