An Indiana Republican legislator killed a bill this week that would prevent transgender people from changing the gender on their birth certificate to one that corresponds with their gender identity.
Rep. Cindy Kirchhofer, who chairs the Indiana General Assembly’s House Public Health Committee, announced last Friday that it will not hear HB 1361, sponsored by Rep. Bruce Borders. Kirchofer, instead, encouraged her colleagues to focus their attention on the ongoing epidemic of opioid and heroin addiction.
“As chair of the House Committee on Public Health, I am focused on several priority issues this legislative session including addressing the opioid and heroin epidemic, which is claiming the lives of more and more people every day. Keeping this in mind, I have decided not to hear House Bill 1361,” Rep. Kirchhofer said in a statement.
Anti-transgender bills targeting the LGBTQ community have become a national issue over the past several years. North Carolina’s HB2, a bill that prevents transgender people from using the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity, made national headlines and led to various protests and demonstrations. Other states have tried to institute similar bills, including one in Texas that also would unfairly regulate access to public restrooms.
Since these types of bills are typically introduced by Republican legislators, it’s refreshing to see a Republican taking a positive stand for the rights of transgender Americans.
H/T Towleroad
