Idaho passes bill requiring schools and doctors to out trans kids to parents
Teachers could be forced to out trans students in Idaho (stock image, Getty)
Idaho lawmakers passed HB 822 on Monday (30 March), a sweeping bill that would require teachers, healthcare providers, and other professionals to inform parents within 72 hours if a minor expresses a trans identity or requests changes such as a different name, pronouns, or access to gender-aligned spaces.
The legislation, which is cosponsored by state Sen. Ben Toews, frames non-disclosure as “aiding and abetting” a child’s social transition, opening individuals and institutions up to lawsuits and fines of up to $100,000, as reported by Idaho Capital Sun.
Towes claims that the so-called “Pediatric Secretive Transitions Parental Rights Act” would close a “loophole” in the state’s transgender laws by targeting social transitions, something which he referred to as “the process by which vulnerable children are led into the pipeline.”
The measure is the latest in a series of laws targeting LGBTQ+ people that are advancing in Idaho, alongside recently passed restrictions on bathroom access and public displays of Pride flags.
If signed into law, opponents say the policy could significantly reshape how schools and healthcare providers interact with LGBTQ+ youth, with broad legal and personal consequences for those involved.
Elsewhere in Idaho, Governor Brad Little has signed a new law that criminalises transgender people for using bathrooms aligned with their gender.
Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.
