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Where in the process is SB 201 right now?
SB 201 will be heard by the California Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee on Monday, January 13th.
Last updated January 9th, 2020
What can you do right now?
Everyone, regardless of where they live, can sign up to receive email advocacy alerts!
If you are not a California resident:
Share the general messages in support of the bill below on your social media accounts. You can also Tweet mentioning the Senators if you like.
If you are a California resident:
Senators want to hear feedback from those who live in their own districts. The Senators in the table below are the decision makers for our immediate next step. If they are your Senator, great! Use the table below to call and/or email them. Sample message ideas are below. If you do not live in the district of any of these decision makers, you can still use this link to find out who your California Senator is, and contact them in advance for next time!
If you are a Californian in the districts listed in these tables, these Senators are still the decision makers in 2020. Use instructions below to contact them.
Most voted on SCR 110, a resolution to affirm intersex human rights, last summer. You can see their decision in the 4th column.
Sample Phone Call Script:
Usually staff members tally calls from those who are constituents in their district, to summarize to their Senator. If your representative supported SCR-110, this would also be a great time to thank them.
Hi there,
I’m ________ a constituent in ________ calling to urge Senator ________’s support of SB 201, authored by Scott Wiener. SB 201 protects children from deeply harmful “normalizing” surgeries. These unnecessary medical procedures can create life altering consequences on their bodies, their minds, and their gender identities. “Normalizing” surgical treatments on this vulnerable population of children have roots in homophobia, and have been likened to a physical form of conversion therapy. It’s important to me that my Senator supports all letters in the LGBTQIA community, so I really hope that they will support SB 201. Thank you!
Sample Email Template:
Personal notes go a long way! If you are an intersex person, LGBTQIA+ community member, or organizational ally, that’s a great thing to mention.
Dear Senator,
I write to strongly urge you to vote in favor of SB 201 (Wiener), which would protect intersex children from deeply harmful “normalizing” surgeries and ensure that life-altering choices about their bodies and, in some cases, gender identities, are not forced upon them in infancy.
SB 201 is a critical step for California. These procedures are physical conversion therapy designed to erase intersex people’s healthy difference before they can even speak about what they do and do not want done to their bodies. California should be a leader in providing the highest standard of medical care, which is why SB 201 is desperately needed to bring our state in line with the human rights consensus that these surgeries must end.
Every major intersex group has opposed these surgeries. Despite condemnation from the San Francisco Human Rights Commission, the Amnesty International, the World Health Organization, Physicians for Human Rights, and the United Nations, among others, the practice of nonconsensual surgery on intersex infants continues to this day in California. California has proudly stood at the forefront of other human rights issues before, and with SB 201, it has the chance to do so again. It is time to put policies in place to ensure these children are cared for ethically, compassionately, and on the basis of evidence rather than assumptions.
I urge you to take the opportunity to support intersex children and their families.
Sincerely,
(Add your Name & Home Address)
Sample Tweets:
At Senators:
- Thank you [@SENATOR HERE] for voting YES on SCR110, affirming the autonomy of children born with natural genital differences. I urge your support on #SB201, which affirms that surgeries like clitoral reduction and vaginoplasty must be delayed.
- Thank you [@SENATOR HERE] for standing with the LGBTQIA community. Please vote yes on #SB201, which delays surgeries to ‘normalize’ intersex infants’ genitalia, which are historically motivated by homophobia.
General:
- California’s #SB201 preserves options for children. Procedures such as reducing a clitoris or creating a vagina for an infant, can be delayed. Acting has high stakes, while #DelayIsOkay. —@interact_ADV
- Like with LGBT conversion therapy, intersex people deal with the lifelong emotional and physical effects of attempted “correction” via infant genital surgeries. California’s #SB201 says #DelayIsOkay.
- For too long, society has denied intersex children and their families the ethical, patient-focused health care they deserve. California’s #SB201 says #DelayIsOkay.
- For children born with natural differences in genital appearance, #DelayIsOkay. Delaying surgery until an individual can understand their own body and risk tolerance preserves options for kids and families. We support CA’s #SB201.
Graphics for Social:
Click here to download all graphics via Google Drive
Videos for Social:
- Link to this as a YouTube video: https://youtu.be/qiLAzjjutdk
- Or, download directly for Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram posts via Google Drive
Medical Professionals:
If you are a medical professional or represent an organization and would like to join Human Rights Watch, Physicians for Human Rights, Amnesty International, the European Parliament, and the World Health Organization, among others, in supporting intersex bodily autonomy, please email our Law and Policy Director, Alesdair Ittelson: [email protected]