WDI USA Legislative Testimony by State – 2023

The 2022-2023 legislative session has been very busy for the SLA Team. Signatories to the Declaration and a dedicated team of volunteers continue to make our voices heard on multiple state bills across the country. 

Read samples of our testimonies below, and keep scrolling for a numerical breakdown of our work this legislative session.

WDI-USA-Age-Verification-Testimony_-Support-1Download
WDI-USA-Conversion-Therapy-Testimony_-OpposeDownload
WDI-USA-Medicalization-Testimony_-OpposeDownload
WDI-USA-Prison-Testimony_-OpposeDownload

Here is a numerical breakdown of our work this legislative session:

  • WDI written testimony was submitted for a total of 51 state bills.
  • WDI USA’s model bill, the Save Adolescents from Experimentation Act (SAFE Act), was sent to state legislators in response to 17 bills which we might otherwise have supported if they did not contain language promoting gender ideology. Read the Model SAFE Act here.
  • More than 175 other state bills were considered but not ultimately acted upon.
  • 24 different women, signatories to the Declaration, sent in written testimony on behalf of WDI USA

The following tables summarizes all 68 bills.

STATEDATEBILL #TOPICWDI ACTIONBECAME LAW?STATUS IF PROCESS INCOMPLETE
California3/8/2023CA AB 583Reproductive health and medicalizing childrenTestimony to neither support nor opposePassed House and Senate; under submission in Appropriations
California3/10/2023CA SB 36Reproductive health and medicalizing childrenTestimony to neither support nor opposePassed House and Senate; under submission in Appropriations
Colorado3/20/2023CO SB 188Reproductive health and medicalizing childrenTestimony to neither support nor opposeYES
Florida3/5/2023FL HB 1033Expanding abortion accessSupporting TestimonyNODied in committee
Florida3/8/2023FL SB 1076Expanding abortion accessSupporting TestimonyNODied in committee
Georgia1/16/2023GA HB 653Medicalizing childrenSent SAFE ActNO
Hawaii4/24/2023HI SB 890Expanding abortion accessSupporting TestimonyReferred to Senate Health and Human Services Committee
Hawaii4/24/2023HI SB 1526Expanding abortion accessSupporting TestimonyRe-referred to Senate Judiciary Committee 2.14.23
Idaho4/8/2023ID HR 2Restricting abortion accessOpposing TestimonyNO
Illinois1/12/2023IL HB 3196Gender neutral bathroomsOpposing TestimonyStill in committee
Indiana2/28/2023IN SB 311Expanding abortion accessSupporting TestimonyReferred to Senate Health and Provider Services Committee
Indiana3/1/2023IN HB 1118Medicalizing childrenSent SAFE ActReferred to House Public Health Committee
Indiana4/18/2023IN HB 1525Medicalizing childrenSent SAFE ActReferred to House Public Health Committee
Indiana4/18/2023IN HB 1220Medicalizing childrenSent SAFE ActReferred to House Public Health Committee
Indiana4/18/2023IN HB 1231Medicalizing childrenSent SAFE ActReferred to House Public Health Committee
Iowa3/1/2023IA SB 129Medicalizing childrenSent SAFE ActNORecessed
Kansas4/26/2023KS HB 2427Sex segregated restroomsSupporting TestimonyYES
Louisiana11/12/2022LA HB 570Medicalizing childrenSent SAFE ActNO
Michigan10/31/2022Ballot Proposal 22-3Reproductive freedom, no minimum ageOpposing TestimonyYES
Missouri4/8/2023MO SJR 19Restricting abortion accessOpposing TestimonyHearing conducted by Senate Health and Welfare Committee
Missouri4/9/2023MO SB 160Restricting abortion accessOpposing TestimonyFormal Calendar Senate Bills for Perfection 5.1.23.
Missouri4/10/2023MO SB 356Restricting abortion accessOpposing TestimonyHearing conducted by Senate Health and Welfare Committee
Missouri4/12/2023MO SJR 8Restricting abortion accessOpposing TestimonyVoted Do Pass Senate Health and Welfare Committee 3.8.23
Nebraska5/25/2023NE LB 169Non-discrimination on the basis of “gender identity”Opposing TestimonyReferred to Appropriations
Nebraska5/25/2023NE LB 670Non-discrimination on the basis of “gender identity”Opposing TestimonyLegislature Business and Labor Committee
Nevada3/5/2023NV SB 153Men in women’s prisonsOpposing TestimonyYES
New Hampshire3/13/2023NH HB 619Medicalizing childrenSent SAFE ActHouse Health, Human Services & Elderly Affairs Committee
New Jersey11/20/2022NJ A3209Men in women’s prisonsOpposing TestimonyCarry over of previous A5768; Referred to Assembly Law and Public Safety Committee
New Jersey12/5/2022NJ A4109Name/pronoun change at schoolOpposing TestimonyReferred to Assembly Education Committee
New Jersey4/13/2023NJ S 3076Medicalizing childrenSupporting TestimonyReferred to Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee.
New Mexico2/21/2023NM HB 7Reproductive health and medicalizing childrenTestimony to neither support nor opposeYES
New York12/5/2022NY A 7001Men in women’s prisonsOpposing TestimonyNO
New York12/7/2022NY A 691Men in women’s prisonsOpposing TestimonyNO
New York12/9/2022NY S 6677Men in women’s prisonsOpposing TestimonyNO
New York1/15/2023NY A 709Men in women’s prisonsOpposing TestimonyReferred to Assembly Correction Committee.
New York1/27/2023NY SB 2860Men in women’s prisonsOpposing Testimony
New York2/18/2023NY SB 744Men in women’s prisonsOpposing TestimonyReferred to Senate Crime Victims, Crime and Correction Committee
North Carolina5/18/2023NC H 574 (SB 631)Sex segregated sportsSupporting TestimonyReferred to Senate Rules and Operations of the Senate Committee
North Carolina5/21/2023NC HB 43Medicalizing childrenSent SAFE ActReferred to House Health Committee
Ohio4/28/2023OH HB 6Sex segregated sportsSupporting TestimonyPassed House
Oklahoma4/26/2023OK HB 1449Women’s Bill of RightsSupporting TestimonyPassed House and Senate
Oklahoma5/11/2023OK SB 614Medicalizing childrenSent SAFE ActReferred to Senate Rules Committee
Oklahoma5/23/2023OK SB 878Medicalizing childrenSent SAFE ActReferred to Senate Rules Committee
Oregon3/27/2023OR HB 2002Reproductive health and medicalizing childrenTestimony to neither support nor opposePassed House, recommended to pass senate
Oregon4/18/2023OR SB 749Sex segregated sportsSupporting TestimonyReferred to Senate Education Committee
Oregon4/19/2023OR SB 453Sex segregated sportsSupporting TestimonyReferred to Senate Education Committee
Pennsylvania4/20/2023PA SB 535Non-discrimination on the basis of “gender identity”Opposing TestimonyReferred to Senate State Government Committee
Pennsylvania4/20/2023PA SB 150Non-discrimination on the basis of “gender identity”Opposing TestimonyReferred to Senate Labor & Industry Committee
Pennsylvania4/20/2023PA HB 300Non-discrimination on the basis of “gender identity”Opposing TestimonyPassed House; referred to Senate State Government Committee
Pennsylvania4/30/2023PA HB 216Sex segregated sportsSupporting TestimonyReferred to House Education Committee
Pennsylvania5/10/2023PA HB 138Allowing for civil action regarding medicalization of childrenSent SAFE ActReferred to Judiciary Committee
South Carolina1/16/2023SC H 3551Medicalizing childrenSent SAFE ActPending in House Judiciary Committee
South Carolina1/16/2023SC SB 125Medicalizing childrenSent SAFE ActNow SB 274. Introduced; referred to Senate Medical Affairs Committee.
Texas4/25/2023TX HB 3213Sex segregated prisonsSupporting TestimonyReferred to House Juvenile Justice & Family Issues Committee 3.15.23
Texas4/25/2023TX HB 3147Sex segregated prisonsSupporting TestimonyLeft pending in House Corrections Committee 4.24.23
Texas4/25/2023TX HB 2862Sex segregated prisonsSupporting TestimonyReferred to House Corrections Committee 3.14.23
Texas5/17/2023TX HB 1532Medicalizing childrenSent SAFE ActReferred to House Public Health Committee
Texas5/23/2023TX HB 1806Non-discrimination on the basis of “gender identity”Opposing TestimonyPending: House International Relations & Economic Development Committee
Texas5/27/2023TX SB 274Non-discrimination on the basis of “gender identity”Opposing TestimonyPending: Senate State Affairs Committee
Vermont2/7/2023VT HB 0089Reproductive health and medicalizing childrenTestimony to neither support nor opposeYES
Vermont2/12/2023VT SB 37Reproductive health and medicalizing childrenTestimony to neither support nor opposeYES
Virginia1/28/2023VA HB 1387Sex segregated sportsSupporting TestimonyNO
Virginia2/22/2023VA HB 2278Restricting abortion accessOpposing TestimonyNO
Washington2/22/2023WA SB 5185Restricting abortion accessOpposing TestimonyReferred to Senate Health & Long Term Care Committee
Washington3/13/2023WA HB 1214Medicalizing childrenSent SAFE ActReferred to Senate Health & Long Term Care Committee
Washington3/20/2023WA SB 5489Reproductive health and medicalizing childrenTestimony to neither support nor opposeNO
Washington3/20/2023WA HB 1469Reproductive health and medicalizing childrenTestimony to neither support nor opposeYES
Wyoming3/13/2023WY SB 144Medicalizing childrenSent SAFE ActNO

WDI USA Legislative Testimony by State – 2022

WDI USA’s State Legislative Advocacy (SLA) team, coordinated by Lauren Levey, has been busy this past legislative session reading, researching, and evaluating bills; composing written testimony; and providing witnesses to give live and written testimony in support of or in opposition to various state bills. Here’s some numerical breakdown of our work this legislative session:

  • WDI written testimony was submitted for a total of 47 state bills. 
  • 21 additional bills were evaluated but not ultimately acted upon. 
  • 16 different women sent in written testimony or testified live on behalf of WDI USA. 

WDI USA President Kara Dansky wrote a model bill called the SAFE Act for the purpose of prohibiting medical procedures on children intended to disguise their sex. A model bill is a template to demonstrate to lawmakers what an effective bill with a particular purpose would look like. In this case, lawmakers in several states had introduced bills intended to ban the treatment of children with drugs and surgeries to disguise their sex, but all contained language that validated “gender identity.” Our model bill was written to achieve the same end using only reality-based language. Read the Model SAFE Act here.

Below is a table of the 47 bills that WDI USA acted on in 2022, in alphabetical order by state.

STATEDATE BILL #TOPICWDI TESTIMONYBECAME LAW?
Alabama1/11/22SB5Medicalizing
children		Sent model bill
Alabama1/18/22HB150Medicalizing
children		Sent model bill
Alabama2/3/22HB266Medicalizing
children		Sent model bill
Alabama2/18/22SB184Medicalizing
children		SupportYes
Alabama2/25/22HB 322Public FacilitiesSupportYes
Alaska3/10/22SB140SportsSupport
Arizona2/19/22SB1130Medicalizing
children		Support
Arizona2/23/22SB1165SportsSupportYes
Arizona2/1/22SB1045Medicalizing
children		Conditional
Support
Arizona3/9/22HB2608Medicalizing
children		Sent model bill
Arizona3/30/22SB1138Medicalizing
children		Sent model bill
Arizona3/17/22HB2314Public FacilitiesSupport
California4/5/22SB923“GI” and
healthcare		Oppose
Georgia2/16/22HB401Medicalizing
Children		Sent model bill
Indiana1/25/22HB1041SportsSupportYes
Iowa1/22/22HF193Medicalizing
Children		Sent model bill
Iowa2/22/22HF2416SportsSupportYes
Kansas2/3/22HB2210Medicalizing
Children		Sent model bill
Kentucky1/8/22HB253Medicalizing
Children		Sent model bill
Kentucky2/10/22HB23,247SportsConditional
Support
Kentucky2/16/22SB83SportsConditional
Support		Yes
Louisiana3/14/22HB570Medicalizing
Children		Sent model bill
Maryland2/22/22HB757SportsSupport
Maryland2/24/22HB757SportsSupport
Minnesota3/22/22HF350SportsSupport
Missouri4/27/22HB2649Medicalizing
Children		Sent model bill
New Hampshire3/21/22HB1651Medicalizing
Children		Sent model bill
New York4/11/22S2809PrisonsOppose
New York4/11/22A691PrisonsOppose
New York5/9/22SB6677PrisonsOppose
Ohio10/26/21HB454Medicalizing
Children		Sent model bill
Oklahoma2/8/22HB3240Medicalizing
Children		Sent model bill
Oklahoma2/25/22SB1164Public facilitiesSupport
Oklahoma2/25/22SB1249Public facilitiesSupport
Pennsylvania3/2/22SB570“Gender Identity”
amendments		Oppose
Pennsylvania3/26/22HB972SportsSupportPassed both
houses; veto expected
Pennsylvania3/27/22SB313“Gender Identity”
amendments		Oppose
South Carolina1/25/22H4047Medicalizing
Children		Sent model bill
South Carolina2/23/22H4608SportsSupportYes
South Dakota1/31/22HB1005PrivacySupport
Tennessee2/9/22HB0578Medicalizing
Children		Sent model bill
Tennessee3/22/22HB2835Medicalizing
Children		Sent model bill
Tennessee2/11/22SB657Medicalizing
Children		Sent model bill
Tennessee3/9/22SB2696Medicalizing
Children		Sent model bill
Vermont3/21/22H 659“GI” and
minors		Oppose
Virginia2/3/22SB766SportsSent letter
Virginia2/3/22HB988“Gender Identity”
in Schools		Sent letter

WDI USA Legislative Testimony by State – 2021

As President Biden issued his Executive Order in January of 2021 to promote “gender identity,” and the the Congress sought to advance the Equality Act, state legislators also scrambled to address the issue.

A record number of bills  affecting sex-based rights for women and girls have been introduced in state legislatures since January, 2021. Some sought to protect single sex sports and private spaces for women and girls; others would advance “gender identity” at our expense.

Board President Kara Dansky pulled together a Legislative Advocacy team for an ongoing project to evaluate and prioritize proposed state legislation, and to write WDI USA testimony in support or opposition.

Read our testimony for each bill by following the “oppose” or “support” links in the table below.  Find the current status of the bill by following the bill number link.

STATEDATEBILL #TOPICWDI TESTIMONY
Alaska3/26/21HB17“Gender Identity”Oppose
Colorado3/23/21HB 1108Equality ActOppose
Georgia2/16/21HB276SportsSupport
Maryland4/7/21HB1118LBGTQ rightsOppose
Michigan4/6/21SB208“Gender Identity”Oppose
Mississippi2/8/21SB2536SportsSupport
Montana1/18/21HB112SportsSupport
New Mexico2/21/21HB304SportsSupport
North Carolina4/6/21SB396Equality ActOppose
North Carolina4/22/21HB358SportsSupport
Oregon6/8/21SB52“GI” educationOppose
Pennsylvania3/27/21SB313“Gender Identity”Oppose
Pennsylvania3/29/21HB847“Gender Identity”Oppose
Pennsylvania4/7/21HB972SportsSupport
Pennsylvania4/12/21SB1191SportsSupport
Pennsylvania6/11/21HB300“Gender Identity”Oppose
Pennsylvania8/4/21HB972SportsSupport
Pennsylvania8/4/21HB972SportsSupport
South Dakota2/17/21HB1217SportsSupport
Tennessee4/5/21HB1182Public RestroomsSupport
Tennessee4/5/21SB1224Public RestroomsSupport
Texas2/16/21HB1458SportsSupport
Texas3/26/21SB1309“Gender Identity”Oppose
Texas3/27/21HB3796“Gender Identity”Oppose
Texas4/7/21SB982“Gender Identity”Oppose
Texas4/16/21HB1458SportsSupport
Texas5/18/21SB29SportsSupport
Texas7/10/21SB2SportsSupport
Utah2/17/21HB92Child Transition BanSupport
West Virginia3/27/21SB692“GI” & HousingOppose
West Virginia4/5/21HB3293SportsSupport
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