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| Democratic senators, such as Tim Kaine of Virginia, strongly defended trans Americans and gender-affirming care during a hearing on Wednesday |
On Wednesday, the Senate held a public hearing on gender-affirming care for trans youth. With Republicans in control of the Senate, you can easily guess which rabbits were pulled out of which hats.
From The Advocate:
A Senate hearing on gender-affirming care for minors on Wednesday became a fight over who gets to make decisions for transgender children, whether politicians should override doctors and parents, and whether the Trump administration’s escalating campaign against gender-affirming care is rooted in concern for children or hostility toward transgender people.
The hearing, convened by Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, came as the administration has intensified efforts to restrict care, including Justice Department subpoenas seeking records from providers that treat transgender minors.
The committee listed three witnesses, including Dr. Kurt Miceli, chief medical officer of anti-trans and anti-diversity activist group Do No Harm; Chloe Cole, an anti-trans advocate who received gender-affirming care as a minor and who regretted that care; and Shannon Minter, legal director of the National Center for LGBTQ Rights.
Minter did an excellent job in defending gender-affirming care as a decision between families and their physicians instead of political leaders:
Minter argued that care for transgender adolescents is governed by standards requiring evaluation, informed consent, and parental involvement. He repeatedly emphasized that parents are central participants in every stage of treatment. “Parents, not politicians, know their children best,” Minter testified.
... Republican Sen. Jim Banks of Indiana repeatedly pressed Minter about Pride flags in classrooms, whether teachers should discuss sexuality with children, and whether Pride symbols represent political statements. Minter declined to engage, instead returning to health care and parental decision-making.
He similarly dismissed suggestions that organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics and Endocrine Society are driven by ideology rather than medicine. "It sounds like a conspiracy theory," Minter said. "They're asking people to believe that all of these longstanding professional organizations have somehow sold out."
Democratic senators also came out unapologetically defending gender-affirming care. They, like Minter, said it was a decision between medical professionals and families. Others pointed out the hypocrisy of Republican focus this issue while ignoring other healthcare issues such as rising costs. Senator Tim Kaine of Viriginia created several memorable moments, such as when he respectfully acknowledged anti-trans activist Chloe Coles's testimony while still standing against a ban on gender-affirming care for trans youth:
The hearing’s most striking exchange came from Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, who delivered one of the strongest defenses of transgender young people. Kaine began by acknowledging Cole’s testimony. “Your story is tragic,” he told her. “It is a classic case, as you tell it, of medical malpractice.” He said allegations that doctors failed to adequately explain risks or pressured families deserved serious attention and could be addressed through malpractice lawsuits, professional standards, and medical oversight rather than a federal ban.
Also, when he said that the hearing was indicative of the ugly attacks against trans Americans:
Kaine pointed to recent political attacks involving transgender people, including efforts to falsely label Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico as transgender and campaign messaging portraying support for transgender rights as politically dangerous. He also criticized the administration’s efforts to remove transgender service members from the military. Kaine said that the reason Republicans are attacking transgender people is that it's easy to target a marginalized group. Kaine also drew a historical parallel, arguing that politicians have repeatedly sought to gain power by targeting vulnerable minority groups.
Pointing to Virginia’s history, he said the state spent much of its post-Founding political history focused on "kicking around marginalized oppressed people" — particularly African Americans — and warned that transgender people are increasingly being cast in a similar role in modern politics.
"Who can we kick around? Who can we direct hate towards?" Kaine said, describing what he viewed as a recurring pattern in American political life. He argued that recent attacks on transgender people resembled earlier efforts to use marginalized groups as political scapegoats. "Attacking trans people is sort of like the new version of kicking around vulnerable communities for political gain," Kaine said.
But probably one of the most poignant moments was when he spoke to trans youth who may have been watching the hearing:
Sen. Kaine: If you’re a trans kid watching this hearing… there is some intentional effort to make you feel bad about yourself, but you have a lot of people who love you. You have a lot of people who support you. … You are a beautiful precious person. You are made and precious… pic.twitter.com/uWnzRcMcy6
— Protect Our Care (@ProtectOurCare) June 3, 2026