Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, newly chosen as Kamala Harris’s running mate, signed a bill granting the state authority to override parental denials of sex-change treatments, marking a bold stance on gender-affirming care.
Vice President Kamala Harris’s newly announced running mate, Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, recently signed a controversial bill allowing the state to make custody decisions if parents deny their children access to sex-change procedures.
The "Trans Refuge Bill," signed in April 2023, grants Minnesota “temporary emergency jurisdiction” in cases where a parent prevents their child from receiving sex-change treatments, including hormone therapy and surgeries. The bill defines these interventions as “medically necessary” if they align with the child's experienced and defined gender identity.
At the bill signing, Walz stated, “In this state, hate has no home. In this state, love and acceptance is what we preach.”
Following former President Joe Biden's withdrawal from the presidential race on July 21, Harris became the presumptive Democratic nominee and selected Walz as her running mate on Tuesday, just weeks before the November election.
The bill also amends Minnesota’s “child custody and child welfare provisions” to shield its gender-affirming health care laws from out-of-state interference. It ensures that out-of-state laws restricting access to transgender treatments are not enforced within Minnesota.
The legislation was praised by Democratic state Rep. Leigh Finke, Minnesota’s first openly transgender lawmaker, who lauded it as part of a “beautifully weird, eclectic, and fabulous queer agenda.” Finke emphasized that the bill reflects their commitment to visibility and resistance, stating, “Our joy is an act of resistance, and we won’t rest until all our liberation efforts succeed.”
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