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I have been thinking about writing this column for several weeks now. On February 28, 2023, Oregon introduced House Bill HB2002. As I read the context of the bill, mostly related to gender affirming (changing) actions for children, I literally felt sick to my stomach. I encourage you to look the bill up yourself and read the bill. In a nutshell, this bill would require parents/taxpayers/parent’s insurance companies to pay for gender affirming (changing) treatments to minor children without parental notification or consent. This bill also includes a clause “Repeals criminal provisions relating to concealing birth”, including the concealment of a deceased infant without criminal penalties. (fastdemocracy.com/bill-search/or/2023.)

Last I checked, a minor child was deemed to be under the direct supervision of their parents, not their teachers, mentors, or medical providers. Minors are not deemed substantially mature enough to make decisions related to drinking alcohol or buying tobacco. They even, in most jurisdictions, need parental consent to get a tattoo or be sixteen before being able to pierce their body without that consent. So a piercing that can be reversed requires consent, but possibly soon in Oregon a child as young as six or seven could engage in irreversible medical treatments, including but not limited to drug therapies or surgeries, to change their gender without parental consent. How can they possibly understand the permanent consequences of that choice if they still need Mom and/or Dad to remind them to do their homework, eat good foods, brush their teeth and get to bed on time?

I recognize we are in Montana, so why the worry? Surely, we won’t follow suit. Or will we? On March 29, 2023, Montana passed a law prohibiting the treatment of transgender minors. It currently is on the desk of Governor Gianforte. I’d encourage those interested in this bill becoming law to contact the governor’s office to share your thoughts. (Mail: Governor Greg Gianforte, P.O. Box 200801,Helena, MT 59620-0801; Phone, 855-318-1330 (toll free) or 406-444-3111.) Every citizen needs to speak out. as it stands now, Lambda Legal, the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Montana have said they will take legal action if the bill becomes law. Does this represent your voice? (apnews.com/article/transgender-healthcare-ban-minors-montana)

As a social worker, my concern rests with the mental health of the minor child and how this will be reflected in adulthood. I do not believe we have enough knowledge at this point to safely be assured these children will grow up happier and better emotionally adjusted than their counterparts who needed to wait until they were eighteen to make permanent choices for gender reassignment. For every story of positive outcome, there are stories of regret and sadness, leading up to suicide. And what about the parents? I’d be more supportive if parental rights to counsel their children and weigh in on the choices being made were supported.

Recently Montana passed SB0419, the TikTok Ban bill. This is a complex issue, because as an American I have the freedom to read what I’d like, watch what I’d like and share what I’d like in my circle and community. I do not approve of censorship or having my rights decreased or taken away. I mean, we do have constitutionally protected rights, do we not?

However, if we look at the Constitution, we also see that our government’s primary responsibility is to protect us from invasion and secure the liberty of the people. So how does this play into the ban on TikTok?

According to SB0419, the State of Montana is recognizing that China is currently in an adversarial role with the United States, including the People of Montana. The State of Montana is also stepping out to protect our privacy and security by preventing TikTok from pinpointing user’s locations. SB0419 further protects our children through this legislation by stopping the influx of dangerous information being fed into our children’s minds and actions. TikTok has promoted what could be called warfare on our children by promoting ideas that cause harm such as these taken directly from the text of SB0419: “throwing objects at moving automobiles, taking excessive amounts of medication, lighting a mirror on fire and then attempting to extinguish it using only one's body parts, inducing unconsciousness through oxygen deprivation, cooking chicken in NyQuil, pouring hot wax on a user's face, attempting to break an unsuspecting passerby's skull by tripping him or her into landing face first into a hard surface, placing metal objects in electrical outlets, swerving cars at high rates of speed, smearing human feces on toddlers, licking doorknobs and toilet seats to place oneself at risk of contracting coronavirus, attempting to climb stacks of milk crates, shooting passersby with air rifles, loosening lug nuts on vehicles, and stealing utilities from public places.” (https://leg.mt.gov/bills/2023/billpdf/SB0419.pdf)

So even though I am opposed to censorship, I do support protecting user’s privacy and stopping subliminal warfare on our children. I also appreciate the elected officials of Montana who stepped up and stepped out to protect our privacy, our children, and their futures. As we have heard before, the only thing needed for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. I am thankful we have good women and men in Helena willing to step up to protect our children.

For now, I will step from my bully pulpit, but I encourage you to find and utilize yours.

Shalom.

Chelle is a recovering social worker who currently works as a licensed massage therapist at Cherry Creek Myotherapy. She moved to Montana with her husband David and two pups, Lucas and Turner, where they seek “the quiet life” amid new adventures.