ARKANSAS (KNWA/KFTA) — A proposed bill in Arkansas would hold adults civilly liable for assisting transgender minors in their gender transitions.
Rep. Mary Bentley (R-Perryville) introduced House Bill 1668, also known as the Vulnerable Youth Protection Act. The bill seeks to impose civil liability on individuals who “knowingly cause” a minor’s social transition, or who perform actions like “castration, sterilization or mutilation.”
The bill would also establish a 20-year statute of limitations for filing civil suits, allowing complainants to recover financial damages for any personal injuries or harm caused by these actions.
While several other states have passed similar laws banning gender-affirming medical care, Arkansas’ latest bill is the first to target “social transitioning”, or the act of adopting a gender identity different from one’s biological sex.
HB 1668 defines social transitioning broadly, including changes in clothing, pronouns, hairstyle and name.
“[A]ny act by which a minor adopts or espouses a gender identity that differs from the minor’s biological sex as determined by the sex organs, chromosomes, and endogenous profiles of the minor, including without limitation changes in clothing, pronouns, hairstyle, and name.”
House Bill 1668 (proposed)
The proposed law would allow lawsuits to be filed up to 15 years after an incident, with damages ranging from $10,000 to $10 million for those found to have provided gender-affirming care to minors.
As of Mar. 19, the bill has been engrossed, meaning it has passed through the committee stage and is now ready for consideration by the full House of Representatives.
The full bill can be read above.
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