Trump targets trans minors in State of the Union address

"By alleging that school officials transitioned Blair's gender identity without parental consent, Trump aimed to mobilise support for a ban on gender-affirming care for transgender children, telling Congress that "no state can be allowed to rip children from their parents' arms and transition them to a new gender against the parents' will," adding: "We must ban it, and we must ban it immediately.""

"Blair has also been central to legislative efforts in Virginia to enact "Sage's Law", which would mandate parental notification when students disclose a transgender identity and restrict even socially affirming practices like using their preferred name or pronouns without parental consent."

"Critics, including civil rights organizations, have denounced this proposal as a harmful measure that endangers LGBTQ+ youth and undermines their civil rights, even describing the bill as a "forced outing". Advocacy groups have asserted that Trump's comments perpetuate misinformation and threaten access to critical healthcare services for transgender individuals."

President Trump highlighted the case of Sage Blair, a Virginia teenager, during his State of the Union address to push for a ban on gender-affirming care for transgender children. Blair's mother sued the school district, alleging it failed to disclose her daughter's male gender identity and that this contributed to Sage running away and experiencing abuse. Trump claimed school officials transitioned Blair's gender without parental consent and called for an immediate nationwide ban on such practices. The case has fueled legislative efforts in Virginia for "Sage's Law," which would mandate parental notification when students disclose transgender identity and restrict social affirmation practices. Civil rights organizations have criticized these proposals as harmful to LGBTQ+ youth, describing them as forced outing and threats to critical healthcare access.

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