LGBTQ+ community reacts to approval of South Carolina bill banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors

HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — South Carolina lawmakers passed a bill on Thursday that would ban all gender transition treatments for minors in the state.

The bill made its way through the House and was sent to Gov. Henry McMaster. If signed by the governor, House Bill 4624, also known as the “Help Not Harm” bill, would prohibit minors from undergoing or seeking gender transition treatments.

Opponents said the legislation will have serious consequences for kids who are already battling with their mental health.

“This is somebody’s last straw,” said Storm Scites, a transgender man in Horry County. “This is telling somebody that who they are is wrong.”

The legislation would make South Carolina one of at least 24 states that limit access to gender-affirming care for minors. The bill, which passed by wide majorities in both the House and Senate, prevents minors from receiving puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and surgery.

It states that any minor who receives treatment before Aug. 1 will be allowed a weaning-off period but that all care must end by Jan. 31. The bill also prevents public funding from being used for gender-affirming care, including coverage like state Medicaid programs.

McMaster expressed support for the bill in January.

“I think this is a good idea,” McMaster said. “It’ll keep our young people safe and healthy. If they want to make those decisions later when they’re adults, then that’s a different story.”

But Scites, who came out as transgender at 18 and began taking hormones when he was 22, said it will have the opposite effect.

“It’s going to send these kids through puberty that they don’t want to see,” Scites said “It’s going to change their bodies in ways that probably just make them hate themselves even more.”

The bill also prohibits school officials from withholding knowledge if a child identifies as a different gender than assigned at birth or if they ask to go by a different pronoun or name.

Mark Bayer, the president of PFLAG, a Pawleys Island-based group that advocates for the LGBTQ+ community along the Grand Strand, said he also is a parent and that the bill takes away parent’s rights to make decisions for their kids.

“My entire life, I’ve seen the queer community under attack,” Bayer said. “I do not understand why we have donated so much of our legislative session to the ban on gender-affirming care.”

Scites said he wants kids who might be affected by the legislation to know one thing.

“We love you and it’s not over,” Scites said. “And please, just stick around until it gets better, because it will.”

News13 reached out to McMaster, and a spokesperson confirmed that he plans to sign the bill into law, though it’s unclear when. We also reached out to Horry County Schools, and they responded, saying that the district will wait on additional information from the state Department of Education.

Count on News13 for updates.

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Adrianna Lawrence is a multimedia journalist at News13. Adrianna is originally from Virginia Beach, Virginia, and joined the News13 team in June 2023 after graduating from Virginia Commonwealth University in May 2023. Keep up with Adrianna on Instagram, Facebook, and X, formerly Twitter. You can also read more of her work, here.

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