The Time Is Now To Push Back Against Anti-LGBTQ+ Riders

For LGBTQ+ elders, the fight for bodily autonomy has been a core aspect of their lives. They came of age during a time when their most intimate behavior was criminalized. In recent years, the LGBTQ+ community have been starkly reminded that constitutional rights granted decades ago can be taken away in the blink of an eye. Advocates know that those who seek to limit access to abortion and reproductive healthcare will, in the same breath, speak about banning gender-affirming care. Collective liberation reminds us that none of us are free until all of us are free.

Anti-equality forces have introduced more than 100 riders in Congress’s Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations bills that seek to restrict LGBTQ+ and reproductive rights. Unfortunately, LGBTQ+ people are all too familiar with these types of attacks on our rights, as we have seen states across the country seeking to further erode the progress for which our elders fought. It is more important than ever that advocates and allies on Capitol Hill stand up against these bigoted riders.

For LGBTQ+ elders, these riders pose a significant threat to their ability to age with the dignity and respect that they deserve, with access to the healthcare they need, and with the ability to make their own informed decisions about their bodies that everyone should have.

One proposed rider would prohibit federal funds for essential gender-affirming services through the Military, the VA, and related agencies for transgender service members, their dependents, and transgender veterans. According to the Williams Institute, there are over 15,000 transgender service members and 21% of transgender people are veterans. As such, Veterans Affairs provides healthcare to a large portion of the older transgender community. They must continue to be able to access a wide range of healthcare services without fear of discrimination.

These services are medically necessary, and they are guided by evidence-based clinical standards. Banning access to these services would set a dangerous precedent by intruding into decision-making by patients, families, and clinicians. As an organization that advocates for and serves transgender elders across the country, SAGE stands in opposition to any appropriations bills that seek to prevent and block access to reproductive or gender-affirming care, whether it is accessed in-person or via telehealth.

We at SAGE, along with countless other movement organizations, call upon our elected representatives to stand up against bigotry and reject any appropriations bills that contain riders that restrict access to healthcare, including gender-affirming care, abortion, and contraception. Join us by calling your representatives to ask that they follow the lead of every major medical association in the country, countless civil and human rights organizations, and their constituents to protect gender-affirming care and reproductive healthcare.