A group of conservative Republicans gathered in front of the US Capitol building on Tuesday, September 20, to announce their proposal for new anti-Trans legislation across the country. If passed, the ‘Protect Children’s Innocence’ bill would make it illegal to provide gender-affirming care to Trans youth.

Georgia representative and conspiracy theorist Marjorie Taylor Greene was among the group of 37 supporters who stood outside the US Capitol to announce the proposed bill. “States like California, Washington, New York, and other Democrat-controlled states want to fast-track kids and tell parents they have no right to take away their children’s desire for gender-affirming care,” she falsely claimed. “There’s no such thing as gender-affirming care.”

Other far-right anti-LGBTQ+ Republicans who were present to back her up during the announcement included Florida representative Matt Gaetz, who faced allegations of violating sex-trafficking laws by paying a 17-year-old girl for sex; and Arizona politician Paul Gosar, who falsely claimed that the Uvalde Texas school shooter was a Transgender “leftist illegal alien”.

The bill they are planning to introduce would make it “a felony to perform any gender-affirming care on a minor”. Moreover, it will prohibit the use of federal funds for gender-affirming care and it will make it illegal for institutions of higher education to offer guidance on such healthcare.

Virginia Republican Bob Good, who co-sponsored the law, questioned why more members of Congress weren’t present at the announcement. “Why wouldn’t every member of Congress be here?” he asked.

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Although it is a concerning development, experts say the proposed bill is unlikely to pass in the US Senate, even in case Republicans manage to take back the chamber after November’s midterm elections. The law would likely also face a veto from President Joe Biden, who earlier this year already blocked a ban on gender-affirming care in Alabama and introduced a new rule in July to protect LGBTQ+ people from healthcare discrimination.

As reported by the Kaiser Family Foundation, Republicans have been trying to push anti-trans legislation or policies aimed at “limiting LGBTQ+ youth access to gender-affirming health care” on many occasions already. They claim that at least 15 states are considering similar bills, despite the fact that numerous medical organisations, including the American Psychiatric Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics, have strongly opposed such restrictions in the name of their patients’ wellbeing.

The list of US countries that are trying to introduce anti-LGBTQ+ laws seems to be constantly increasing. On Tuesday, Republican lawmakers in Pennsylvania rallied in front of the state capitol for the introduction of an anti-LGBTQ+ bill that would “go further” than the infamous Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law, which prohibits discussions on LGBTQ+ themes in school.