I don’t like the term “gender affirming” but I don’t have an alternative to it. In this case, it is the core of a bill in the Ohio House that seeks to protect minors from the use of puberty blockers, hormones and gender reassignment surgery. Jeopardy champion Amy Schneider, an openly transgender woman and a native Ohioan, went back to her home state to testify against the bill.

House Bill 454, nicknamed the Save Adolescents from Experimentation or SAFE Act by supporters, would discipline doctors found in violation of the law, if the bill passes. It also opens up the possibility of civil lawsuits. Remember, this is a bill that targets minors, not consenting adults. If I was a Democrat, I’d say it’s for the children. You get the point.

Gender dysphoria has risen to a top priority in the United States, though it affects a very small percentage of the general population. A firm number of trans people in the general population hasn’t been attained, though, thanks to “a lack of clear data, the way statistics are kept, and the vague wording of surveys all prevent an accurate count.” It is estimated by the CDC that there are about 1M trans Americans, or about 0.6% of the adult population.

The exploitation of minors by adults who profit off of what may just be sexual confusion or insecurity instead of true gender dysphoria is thought to be all to frequent. It’s big business. Studies are now showing that many transgender youths are regretting decisions made in their younger years. In order to prevent such regrets, the Ohio law seeks to allow minors to become adults before major life-changing decisions are made, such as the use of hormones, and surgery. Arguments are falling along partisan political lines. Shocker, right?

Supporters say the changes are necessary to prevent both children and parents from being “bullied” into potentially irreversible treatments. But opponents say most of what Republicans are peddling about transgender care is misinformation at best and bigotry at worst.

“We don’t need our private decisions controlled by politicians,” said Kathryn Poe, public policy and digital communications manager for Equality Ohio.

The bill was created by Families, Aging and Human Services committee member state Rep. Gary Click, a Republican.

During her time on Jeopardy, Amy Schneider not only came out as a transgender contestant but she also found her political voice on a national scale. She went after Republican politicians because, she said, “one of their goals in office will be to make life harder for me personally.” At the time she was replying to a tweet from Rep. Tim Ryan. Ryan recently lost his bid to be in the U.S. Senate to Republican J.D. Vance.

Thanks! To any followers in Ohio, next year remember that, no matter who the Republican candidate is, one of their goals in office will be to make life harder for me personally. Don’t give them the chance! https://t.co/gYSGY1KeIa

— Amy Schneider (@Jeopardamy) December 2, 2021

She scolded someone who complained that she turned that tweet of support into a political message.

To anyone else who feels this way: I would be *delighted* for my existence to not be a political issue. But as the GOP won’t give me that option, please direct your complaints to them, thanks! https://t.co/Tea0Hr54mg

— Amy Schneider (@Jeopardamy) December 2, 2021

So, when I read that Schneider was going to go back to Ohio and testify before the House committee, I was not particularly surprised. This is what her winnings on Jeopardy have allowed her to do, pursue her political activism goals.

“To be given the chance in Ohio, where I spent 30 years of my life, to have a chance to make a difference and have a chance to actually, if nothing else, slow down these laws and give trans kids a little bit longer to be safe, then I’ve just got to do it,” Schneider told the OCJ before she gave her testimony to the committee.

In her testimony, she sought not to demonize those who support the bill, but to ask that they do what they claim is the main goal of the bill: protecting children.

“But if you do share that goal, then passing this bill would be a tragic mistake,” Schneider said. “Because far from protecting children, this bill would put some of them in grave danger, a danger that not all them would survive.”

The hearing lasted about two hours and halfway through, Rep. Click revised his bill to include more moderate approach.

In the new version, puberty blockers or hormone therapy is allowed for minors, but only after a doctor confirms that the child “has received on a routine basis and for at least a two-year period counseling related to gender dysphoria, mental health and the risks of gender transition,” according to the sub bill’s analysis by the Legislative Service Commission.

A doctor must also screen for other things that “may be influencing the minor’s gender dysphoria,” including depression, autism or ADHD, and “ensure that these comorbidities are treated and stabilized for at least two years.”

Along with conducting other physical, sexual, mental and emotional abuse screenings, a second doctor must be consulted and agree to the treatment plan.

The bill also requires physicians to report “the number of minors who resumed identification with their biological sex,” and “the number of minors for whom the physician previously prescribed drugs or hormones who have not been prescribed those hormones or drugs for one year or more,” according to the LSC analysis.

Violating HB 454 could put doctor’s medical licenses at risk.

It seems to me that something as life-altering as body mutilation in the name of gender change or using puberty blockers on minors warrants some professional precautions. A certain length of time spent with therapists and consultations doesn’t sound unreasonable, it sounds logical. Therapists can treat depression and teenage insecurity during the process until the minor reaches adulthood.

The Ohio bill was not voted on by the committee Wednesday. After the witnesses spoke, the chair adjourned the committee meeting.