Marjorie Taylor Greene calls gender-affirming mom “evil” while promoting anti-trans bill

In an effort to promote her anti-trans “Protect Children’s Innocence Act,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) hurled insults at a mother who has spent years fighting for the right to affirm her trans daughter’s identity.

Greene reposted an article from the far-right Dallas Express News — a publication the Texas Observer has described as a “‘pink slime’ media site that launders conservative propaganda” — that claimed Anne Georgulas could soon gain the right to “castrate” her daughter without her ex-husband Jeff Younger’s permission “because she believes her son is transgender.”

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Greene posted in response that her bill would “stop this evil mentally ill mother from castrating her son.”

“Over 70% of Americans agree with my bill. There’s no excuse as to why my bill has not moved,” Greene added. She did not share where the 70 percent stat came from.

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My bill Protect Children’s Innocence Act would make so called “gender affirming care” on any child under 18 and in this case stop this evil mentally ill mother from castrating her son.

Over 70% of Americans agree with my bill.

There’s no excuse as to why my bill has not moved. https://t.co/JGYc5bUysp

— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) April 14, 2024

The story in the Dallas Express News is about well-known anti-trans activist Jeff Younger — who has been engaged in years of legal battles with Georgulas over how to raise their trans daughter, Luna, whom he consistently misgenders and deadnames.

Younger has claimed Georgulas is forcing Luna to be trans, which both she and Luna have denied. In 2021, a Texas court granted nearly all custodial and parental rights to Georgulas under the condition that Younger had regular supervised visits and Georgulas did not consent to any gender-affirming hormone or surgical treatment for Luna.

That same year, Younger ran for the Texas House of Representatives with a platform entirely based on transphobia. His campaign expressed support for so-called “conversion therapy” for transgender youth, opposed gender-affirming medical care for trans youth, and opposed schools recognizing the gender identities of trans students. He claimed supporting Luna’s gender identity is child abuse and that her life is in danger.

According to the Dallas Express, Georgulas has since moved with her two children to California, where she will have a hearing on April 25 likely regarding access to best-practice gender-affirming care for Luna based on her age, though the far-right publication claims Georgulas is seeking permission to “castrate” her. (Trans youth almost never undergo gender-affirming surgery).

In 2022, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed a bill protecting transgender youth and their families fleeing prosecution from states that criminalize gender-affirming care, making the state a sanctuary for trans kids and their families.

THIS is why we need more sanctuary laws.

Jeff Younger's parental rights are terminated and he can't detransition Luna, the person whose case led to a lot of the anti-trans youth bans,

Her mom moved with her to Cali.

California will NOT give the kid to Jeff due to SB107. https://t.co/xh7paZNmYU

— Erin Reed (@ErinInTheMorn) December 31, 2022

Luna’s story has been used by the conservative media over the years to promote the idea that children are being forced by parents to transition medically. The claim that Younger is trying to “save” his child from hormones and surgery, unlikely treatments for a child her age, continues to be perpetuated.

Greene’s “Protect Children’s Innocence Act” would make it a Class C felony to provide gender-affirming care to trans minors, make it more difficult for trans adults to access gender-affirming care by banning some health care programs from covering it, and ban medical schools from teaching about gender-affirming care.

In November, Greene lied during testimony in the House when she claimed that there are “many young people that made the tragic mistakes of having mastectomies, having castrations done to them, having genital mutilation surgeries when they were still in their early, uh, teens, um, maybe even before they were teenagers.”

As stated above, genital gender-affirming surgery is not performed on minors in the U.S., much less on prepubescent children. Some older teens can sometimes get mastectomies if they meet stringent requirements, but that’s rare.

Gender-affirming care for pre-pubescent children involves allowing them to wear the kinds of clothes that they want, calling them by a name and pronouns that affirm their gender identities, and generally supporting their self-expression. Puberty blockers — which have been shown to reduce lifelong suicide risk among trans people — are prescribed after the onset of puberty, and hormone replacement therapy is an option for some trans teens who are a bit older.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. The Trans Lifeline (1-877-565-8860) is staffed by trans people and will not contact law enforcement. The Trevor Project provides a safe, judgement-free place to talk for youth via chat, text (678-678), or phone (1-866-488-7386). Help is available at all three resources in English and Spanish.