美国国家公共电台 NPR--Republicans in several states push for limits on gender-affirming care for adults

Republicans in several states push for limits on gender¹-affirming care for adults

Transcript²

A Florida bill would allow only physicians to provide such care, and it would prohibit public dollars from covering costs. State health insurance plans and Medicaid can't provide coverage³.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Across the country, Republican lawmakers have passed a record number of bills this year targeting the rights of transgender people. The argument in favor of those measures is often that they're intended to protect kids. But as WFSU's Regan McCarthy reports, limitations for adults frequently follow close behind.

REGAN MCCARTHY, BYLINE⁴: This month, Kaleb Hobson-Garcia graduated with a degree in environmental science. Since he was a kid, he's loved the environment. But he hasn't always wanted to be a scientist.

KALEB HOBSON-GARCIA: I wanted to be a firefighter and an astronaut and a paleontologist.

MCCARTHY: One thing Hobson-Garcia, who's transgender, has always wanted to be is a boy.

HOBSON-GARCIA: I only ever felt connection to the idea of being a boy.

MCCARTHY: Hobson-Garcia started hormone⁵ therapy at 14. Now he's 21. He won't be impacted by Florida's bans on gender affirming care for kids. But Republicans in several states are pushing limits on care for adults, too. Florida lawmakers just passed a bill that says only physicians can provide gender affirming medical care. The bill also prohibits public dollars from covering its costs. State health insurance plans and Medicaid can't provide coverage. Hobson-Garcia injects himself with testosterone every two weeks. Without insurance, he estimates a month's supply would cost him up to $160. If he couldn't afford it...

HOBSON-GARCIA: I could start menstruating regularly again. That is not something that I've done since I started blockers. And that is something that would be incredibly dysphoric for myself and I'm sure for the thousands of other trans people that exist in the state of Florida.

MCCARTHY: Florida's law follows bans that were in place through administrative⁶ rules. Simone Chriss is a lawyer with the Southern Legal Counsel. She's challenging some of these bans.

SIMONE CHRISS: Like with everything else that these folks try to do to harm LGBTQ people, it's an easier lift and it's easier to swallow when it's, oh, we're protecting children.

MCCARTHY: And Chriss says it's long been that way. But restrictions⁷ have often significantly impacted adults, too.

CHRISS: The justification⁸ for not allowing same-sex marriage was it's harmful to children. And the justification for the drag bans is it's harmful to children. And the justification for everything that's happening - sports bans, it hurts cis girls. Bathroom bans, it hurts children.

MCCARTHY: That's how Governor Ron DeSantis talks about bills lawmakers passed in the recent legislative⁹ session.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

RON DESANTIS: The legislature enacted¹⁰ historic protections for children.

MCCARTHY: DeSantis is widely expected to announce a 2024 presidential run.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

DESANTIS: You should not be doing puberty blockers. That is wrong. And we're glad that we put a stop to that in the state of Florida.

MCCARTHY: Critics say the slate¹¹ of anti-LGBTQ+ bills passed in Florida this year are part of his plan to rally voters ahead of the Republican primary. Nationwide, 46% of people support barring gender affirming care for kids, according to a survey published last year by Pew Research Center. Sixty percent believe a person's gender cannot differ from their sex assigned at birth.

HOBSON-GARCIA: Transitioning and finding gender euphoria to someone who hasn't experienced that is, what is something in your life that you do to have people look at you that brings you joy and makes you think, yes, this is how I want people to look at me?

MCCARTHY: Hobson-Garcia says he can see why it might be hard for someone who doesn't know a transgender person to understand how it feels.

HOBSON-GARCIA: It can be something like, I'm an artist, I'm a musician, and I need people to know that. But it's a part of your identity that is so wholly you and brings you so much joy, you can't imagine not having that be a part of yourself.

MCCARTHY: Hobson-Garcia is again rethinking his career path. Instead of looking for jobs as a scientist, he's looking for jobs in grassroots organizing and advocacy. He wants to fight for transgender rights. Meanwhile, Florida Republicans are already making plans for more rules that would impact transgender people of any age.

For NPR News, I'm Regan McCarthy in Tallahassee.

(SOUNDBITE OF DELEVSKI'S "BETTER TIMES")

1 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 hormone   

n.荷尔蒙，激素，内分泌

参考例句：

• Hormone implants are used as growth boosters.激素植入物被用作生长辅助剂。
• This hormone interacts closely with other hormones in the body.这种荷尔蒙与体內其他荷尔蒙紧密地相互作用。

6 administrative   

adj.行政的，管理的

参考例句：

• The administrative burden must be lifted from local government.必须解除地方政府的行政负担。
• He regarded all these administrative details as beneath his notice.他认为行政管理上的这些琐事都不值一顾。

7 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

8 justification   

n.正当的理由；辩解的理由

参考例句：

• There's no justification for dividing the company into smaller units. 没有理由把公司划分成小单位。
• In the young there is a justification for this feeling. 在年轻人中有这种感觉是有理由的。

9 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

10 enacted   

制定（法律），通过（法案）( enact的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• legislation enacted by parliament 由议会通过的法律
• Outside in the little lobby another scene was begin enacted. 外面的小休息室里又是另一番景象。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

11 slate   

n.板岩，石板，石片，石板色，候选人名单；adj.暗蓝灰色的，含板岩的；vt.用石板覆盖，痛打，提名，预订

参考例句：

• The nominating committee laid its slate before the board.提名委员会把候选人名单提交全体委员会讨论。
• What kind of job uses stained wood and slate? 什么工作会接触木头污浊和石板呢？