Sen. Warren Hamilton files bill to prevent those under 21 from undergoing gender reassignment procedures

State Sen. Warren Hamilton, R-McCurtain, has filed Senate Bill 676 to prohibit anyone under the age of 21 from undergoing gender reassignment medical treatment in the state.

The measure would make it illegal for a person under the age of 21 to undergo gender reassignment medical treatment; for a parent or guardian of a child under the age of 18 to obtain gender reassignment medical treatment for the child; or for a health care professional to intentionally perform gender reassignment medical treatment on a person who is under the age of 21.

The bill defines gender reassignment medical treatment as any health care to facilitate the transitioning of a patient’s assigned gender identity on the patient’s birth certificate to the gender identity experienced and defined by the patient. 

“These procedures and transitions are life-altering, and this decision shouldn’t be made by those unable to see the long-term effects of such treatments,” Hamilton said. “My concern is many of these children may be convinced by society at a young age that they are not the gender they were born as. It’s completely normal, for example, for girls to be ‘tomboys,’ but that doesn’t mean they should be a boy. Let’s leave these important decisions to adults.”

Under the proposed legislation, a person guilty of the provisions listed in the bill would be guilty of a felony with a punishment of three years up to life in prison, as well as a fine up to $20,000.

If signed into law, the measure would go into effect Nov. 1, 2022.