The state of Ohio’s House of Representatives is considering legislation that forces educators, therapists, and social workers to out transgender minors to their parents or face fourth-degree felony charges. For those who display characteristics in opposition to their assigned gender at birth, or who openly question their gender, the stakes are nothing short of life and death.

Ohio House Bill 658 mandates certain state workers and therapists report a minor’s gender identity or the questioning of their gender identity to the parents. Introduced by Reps. Thomas Brinkman and Paul Zeltwanger, the bill also gives parents the right to “withhold consent for gender dysphoria treatment or activities that are designed and intended to form a child’s conception of sex and gender.” Ohio legislators want the decision to transition out of the hands of transgender people if they are under 18, giving sole power of treatment decisions to the parents; who must both consent. For teens with parents unwilling to support them at a time when the effects of gender dysphoria lead to a host of mental anguish and suicidal thoughts, this could be a death sentence.

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