John,

It's been a wrenching few months for transgender youth, adults, and their families in South Carolina, and we're sending love, solidarity, and support across the Palmetto State. Today, following a tumultuous legislative session where hundreds of South Carolinians mobilized against H. 4624, the anti-transgender healthcare bill, Governor McMaster signed it into law. 

Gov. McMaster chose to side with anti-LGBTQ extremists over what's best for South Carolinians – and the bill now takes effect immediately. It's with a heavy heart that we launch the Southern Trans Youth Emergency Project (STYEP) in South Carolina to help families avoid care disruptions as much as possible. We are honored to be working with three amazing youth-serving organizations – We Are Family, Uplift Outreach Center, and the Harriet Hancock Center – as our South Carolina partners for STYEP. 

H. 4624 is one of the worst healthcare bans in the country; it not only bans healthcare for transgender youth, but it also it restricts healthcare access for adults on Medicaid and state health insurance plans, prevents public funding from supporting this care (which could lead some clinics to stop providing care outright), and forces teachers to “out” students who ask to use a different name or pronouns at school. This is a heart-breaking loss for so many in South Carolina – as well as families of trans youth across the South who have been relying on South Carolina for care following bans in their own states. With the passage of H. 4624, families of trans youth are forced to travel even further – sometimes more than a thousand miles – to get the medically necessary care they need to thrive. 

Longer travel distances means more gas, more meals on the road, and more time away from work and/or other children in the family. Please consider donating $100, $50, or whatever you can to STYEP to help us meet the growing need for care and support in South Carolina and surrounding states.

We've fought hard against this bill for 3 years, in partnership with the SC United for Justice & Equality coalition, and while we're devastated that this bill has become law, we're proud of the work this coalition and the many tireless organizers on the ground have done. They drove thousands of calls and emails, organized in every corner of the state, and did everything they could to protect trans kids from this cruel ban. We were able to keep South Carolina lawmakers from moving forward with this bill longer than nearly every other Southern state, and every day trans kids and adults could get the care they deserve close to home was worth fighting for with everything we have.

Now, we're jumping into action to make sure trans youth in South Carolina and surrounding states can get the care they need to thrive. We worked with partners to host a virtual town hall for impacted families in South Carolina (watch the video here) and are ready with patient navigation support as medical professionals are forced to cease providing care. We're also helping adults navigate this new care landscape with a care hotline, provider resources, and more to support them during this time. We will never stop fighting for the trans youth and adults of South Carolina, and we will do everything we can in the months and years ahead to make sure they can get the life-saving care they deserve. 

If you're able, please consider supporting the Southern Trans Youth Emergency project as we expand to South Carolina with a donation of $5, $25, or whatever you can give. The loss of South Carolina as an access state means longer and more expensive journeys for care, and we'll be ready to help those impacted however we can.

We firmly believe that this discriminatory law is unconstitutional, and we're heartened by the recent Fourth Circuit of Appeals ruling that struck down bans on Medicaid and state employee healthcare plans from covering gender-affirming care as such. We're hopeful that the South Carolina law will be challenged in court, and that these components of the law will be struck down swiftly. Either way, we will never stop working to support the trans community in South Carolina, and trans folks across the South as we grapple with ongoing legislative attacks on our rights and equality.

Thank you for all that you do,
Allison Scott
She/Her
Director of Impact & Innovation
Campaign for Southern Equality