“Jeopardy!” legend Amy Schneider will testify Wednesday in the Ohio state legislature against a bill that would ban gender-affirming health care for minors in Ohio.
The big picture: Ohio is one of several states that have attempted to restrict access to gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth amid a wider slew of anti-trans legislation, even though medical associations like the American Medical Association oppose such measures and say that trans and nonbinary gender identities are “normal variations of human identity and expression.”
- The bill in question would bar access to puberty-blocking drugs, hormone therapy and gender confirmation surgeries for people under 18.
What she’s saying: Schneider, the first trans contestant to make it to the Tournament of Champions and the first woman in the history of the game show to surpass $1 million in winnings, has been outspoken about her identity and is seen as an icon for the LGBTQ community.
- “It’s so important that LGBTQ+ Ohioans and those who love them fight to protect the children whose health and safety would be endangered by this misguided legislation,” Schneider, an Ohio native, said in a statement through the LGBTQ advocacy and legal aid organization Equality Ohio.
Worth noting: Three major medical groups urged the Justice Department last month to investigate increasing threats of violence against children’s hospitals and physicians that provide gender-affirming care to trans youth.
Go deeper… Poll: Most LGBTQ kids’ mental health negatively impacted by anti-trans legislation
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