[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 63 (Monday, April 17, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H1731-H1732]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRANSGENDER MENTAL HEALTH

  (Ms. SALINAS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. SALINAS. Madam Speaker, I rise on Mental Health Monday in defense 
of the transgender community.
  Last year, lawmakers introduced 315 anti-LGBTQI+ bills. During that 
same year, a national survey found that 45 percent of LGBTQI+ youths 
seriously considered suicide. That is 45 percent, Madam Speaker.
  This year has far surpassed 2022's record with more than 400 hateful 
and harmful laws introduced so far, including H.R. 734.
  Reputable athletic organizations like the International Olympic 
Committee and the National Collegiate Athletic Association have 
guidelines for the equitable participation of transgender athletes.
  With this bill, House Republicans are creating a problem where there 
isn't one because they think the American people won't see this for 
what it is: a ploy to distract from their failures.
  Madam Speaker, this is not a game. It is a mental health catastrophe 
in the making. The trans community deserves our support, not our scorn.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to consider healing over harm and 
to reconsider H.R. 734.

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