by Renee McGuinness
The Vermont House Committee on Health Care invited youth leaders from Outright Vermont to testify on March 20. The topic was, “Gender affirming care and essential care for youth.” Outright Vermont is a 50(c)(3) organization that supports LGBTQ+ youth. Its mission statement is, “building a Vermont where all LGBTQ+ youth have hope, equity, and power.”
Chair Alyssa Black opened the meeting with, I’m really excited today. Today is Outright Vermont Youth Leadership Day at the State House, and we are joined by lots of youth leaders.”
Amanda Rohdenburg, Associate Director of Outright Vermont; Jessica Barquist, VP of Public Affairs for Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, which is a provider of gender-affirming care drugs and services; Megan Kelly, a Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) advisor and Spanish teacher at Shelburne Community School, GSA co-adviser Annette; and Ginger Irish, well-known to the Committee as the Director of Development at Outright Vermont, were in attendance.
During testimony, youth as young as eleven years old pleaded with Committee members to protect their access to mental health, suicide prevention, and access to gender-affirming care.
A high school senior named Alex alluded to the POTUS’ Executive Orders on Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism And Restoring Biological Truth To The Federal Government and Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation as a threat to receiving the care they claim they desperately need, characterizing national leadership as, “intentionally destructive and ignorant political officials.”
“I ask the committee to work to protect gender-affirming care specifically for youth in Vermont, and that you use your voice and your position to normalize our identities,” said Alex.
Another senior named Griffin asked for state-wide access to suicide prevention and mental health resources in schools, “Although the Department of Mental Health released a strategic plan for suicide prevention in July of 2024, access to these critical resources in schools remains insufficient,” and continued to explain that teachers’ and administrators’ referrals to third parties to receive assistance is not helpful.
Chair Alyssa Black responded, “Thank you Griffin, you’re right. It was this Committee that created that statewide [suicide prevention] plan. And one of the things that we know we are lacking, and we talk about it all the time, is a strategic statewide plan for schools, so thank you for reminding us of that.”
An eleven-year-old named Clementine said, “Imagine that you are born in a body you do not want, and you didn’t choose . . . imagine someone, a person in power, or even a family member says ‘No, that can’t happen. You can’t do that. You’ll be illegal. You are not allowed to change your body.’ This could lead you to even kill yourself,” and asked the Committee to refuse compliance with the “rules,” an apparent reference to the POTUS’ Executive Orders.
A high school senior named Emmet stated that, “Affordability is just the biggest barrier, I would say.”
Bills to expand health insurance coverage for gender-affirming care and to stockpile gender -affirming care drugs, H.55 and H.56, were introduced and referred to the Committee on Health Care but have not taken up this session.
In 2024, a bill requiring annual mental health screening of school-age youth for anxiety, depression, and suicide risk, H.816, was introduced. In 2022, H.659, a bill to “Allow a minor who identifies as transgender to consent to receiving hormone blockers and other nonsurgical, gender-affirming care and treatment without requiring parental consent,” was introduced but not taken up.
Vermont Family Alliance anticipates the above bills will be taken up in the future, is opposed to legislation that usurps the authority of parents to direct their children’s health care and education, and is alarmed and deeply concerned that we have minors in Vermont asking for the State to intervene in their mental and physical health care.
The group continued their day at the State House with a rally and press conference, while DeTransitioners, who are in need of mental and physical health care, were recently marginalized by Vermont House and Senate Democrats and excluded from having their voices heard and their needs considered when Vermont Family Alliance and SPEAK VT’s DeTrans Awareness Day Event was shut down by the Office of the Sergeant at Arms.
Outright Vermont Youth Leader’s testimony can be found in two parts: House Committee on Health Care March 20 10 am and House Committee on Health Care March 20 10:18 am.
The author is an Addison County resident and policy analyst for the Vermont Family Alliance.