GOP lawmaker booed for asking trans doctor about her genitalia at public hearing

During a state legislative committee meeting on Monday, one Arkansas Republican lawmaker shocked LGBTQ+ rights advocates and members of the public by asking a transgender woman whether she has a penis in front of the entire gallery.

The state’s Senate Judiciary Committee was meeting to vote on Arkansas S.B. 199, which would allow people to sue healthcare providers up to 30 years after receiving treatment if they can prove “injury.” As UA Little Rock Public Radio reports, the bill’s sponsor, state Sen. Gary Stubblefield (R), said that it is designed to deter healthcare professionals from providing gender-affirming care. It also institutes a two-year waiting period for trans youth seeking treatment, and bans youth with mental health-related diagnoses like depression and eating disorders from accessing gender-affirming care according, as Arkansas Times notes.