From: Astrid Huetson <foehunter462@gmail.com>

Sent: Saturday, January 25, 2020 7:46 AM

Subject: HB1057 House Floor Vote

I have written and rewritten this letter innumerable times and I fear that there will be not “right” way to wordsmith this. I implore you to please vote “No” on HB1057 when it goes to the House Floor.

This bill is particularly sinister when examined in detail. The BLUF is that South Dakota 2020 House Bill (HB) 1057 makes it illegal for a medical professional to offer gender affirming surgery or hormone therapy to any
child under the age of 16.

As a transgender woman who chose to stay in South Dakota when I retired, I feel that I can offer some genuine insight into the “concerns” this bill is addressing. I will give them the benefit of a doubt and assume that they
didn’t know the truth behind their actions, kind of like doing the wrong thing for the right reasons scenario.

This in direct conflict with research from 2019 which found that transgender children’s gender identity is just as “real” (my word) as that of cisgender children. (1,2) Just as you knew that you “were” a boy or a girl as a child,
a transgender child knows that they are a boy or girl as well. They weren’t coerced, trained or brought up to think that, it is just a fact that they know to be true in their mind.

This was submitted as the “Vulnerable Child Protection Act” in an attempt to pull at the “think of the poor defenseless children” emotional angle. In reality, this bill is exactly the opposite. Transgender children suffer
immense mental anguish as they develop through puberty as their body develops in direct opposition to the mind. This leads to a near constant questioning of why they are different and unable to find solace in their physical
body like their peers. Unfortunately this leads to an disproportionately high suicide attempt rate. Estimates are as high as 50% for transgender boys and 30% for transgender girls. (3). I can attest that being on Hormone
Replacement Therapy has literally been a life saver. The mental static is erased and peace can finally be found as the brain is no longer being “poisoned” by the body pumping it full of a hormone cocktail that is
incompatible. Imagine being in a constant state of physical pain and then feeling the wave of relief as the pain management medication finally takes hold. This is not an exaggeration of how significant the feeling is.

This bill also included a ban on gender affirming surgery. No surgeon in SD will perform such a surgery on a minor now, nor will any insurance cover such a procedure. Including this in the bill is nothing more than a dog
whistle for people to rally behind to “protect” the children from the specter of regretting transitioning. The VAST majority (97.8%) of adults who transitioned as a child have absolutely no regrets for their transition (4).

In summary, this bill does absolutely nothing to protect transgender children and will only serve to take away any treatment options. These decisions are extremely personal and should only be made between the (1)
patient/minor (2) guardian/parent and (3) medical professional. The state has no business interfering with this. There are enough measures in place already to triple-check that the proposed treatment is the most
appropriate course of action.

-Astrid Huetson

(1) Eckart, Kim. 11.18.19. “Among transgender children, gender identity as strong as in cisgender children, study shows.” University of Washington News. https://www.washington.edu/news/2019/11/18/among-transgenderchildren-gender-identity-as-strong-as-in-cisgender-children-study-shows/
(2) Yong, Ed. 1.15.19. “Young Trans Children Know Who They Are.” The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/01/young-trans-children-know-who-they-are/580366/
(3) “Transgender Children & Youth: Understanding the Basics.” Human Rights Campaign Website. https://www.hrc.org/resources/transgender-children-and-youth-understanding-the-basics
(4) Dhejne, Cecilia & Oberg, Katarina & Arver, Stefan & Landén, Mikael. (2014). An Analysis of All Applications for Sex Reassignment Surgery in Sweden, 1960-2010: Prevalence, Incidence, and Regrets. Archives of sexual
behavior. 43. 10.1007/s10508-014-0300-8.