TRANS HEALTHCARE IS UNDER ATTACK
There is currently legislation in place or in proposal in the states of Florida, Texas, Tennessee, Arizona, Ohio, Idaho, Arkansas, and Alabama that seeks to restrict access to gender-affirming care or otherwise restrict the livelihoods of trans people.
The respective governors of these states, Ron DeSantis, Greg Abbott, Bill Lee, Doug Ducey, Mike DeWine, Brad Little, Asa Hutchinson, and Kay Ivey, have all heavily supported these policies and have sought for years to restrict the rights of the trans population.
The campaigns of these politicians and their ability to pass this legislation is heavily supported by corporate donations. In response to this, this project is an act of trans presencing in some of the commercial spaces whose money has supported these policies.
8 companies have been chosen to represent the corporations who continue to choose their profits and greed over the rights and freedoms of trans people. These companies were Toyota, Walmart, Home Depot, Coca Cola, Ford, Nissan, McDonalds, and Burger King, all of whose donations are detailed in the captions of their corresponding photos above and in the company donation box below. In addition to the photos taken, the following message was left at each location:
Below I have detailed the specific actions each state has taken to suppress trans rights and healthcare access, and will continue to update it as the situation evolves.
Florida
Medical board has placed a complete ban on any gender-affirming care for new patients in November 2022.
Texas
Had parents who got their children gender-affirming care investigated for child abuse in March 2022 (something the state is now successfully being sued for), and in November 2022 introduced a bill restricting drag performance whose definitions make it so that any performance by a trans person would be classified as a sexual act.
Tennessee
Proposed bill to block trans youth from receiving gender-affirming care in November 2022.
Arizona
Signed a bill in March 2022 that prohibited sex reassignment surgery for minors and attempted to prohibit minors from receiving any gender-affirming care the previous February.
Ohio
Voting began in October 2022 on a bill called the Save the Adolescents from Experimentation Act that would prohibit any gender-altering procedures on a minor.
Idaho
Early in 2022 a bill was proposed that would have outlawed gender-affirming care for those under 18, but it was blocked in March.
Arkansas
Passed Act 626 in April 2021, the first gender-affirming care ban in the U.S. It’s currently been prohibited from enforcement by federal trial.
Alabama
Instituted a ban on gender-affirming medication for trans minors in May 2022, which has been partially stricken down.
Company Donations
All donations can be found on followthemoney.org
Burger King: donated $6500 to the Ron DeSantis campaign.
McDonalds: donated $10,000 to Asa Hutchinson and $5000 toGreg Abbott.
Nissan: donated $23,000 to the campaign of Bill Lee.
Ford: made donations of $9500 to Mike DeWine and $21,000 to Greg Abbott.
Coca Cola: made smaller donations to the campaigns of DeWine, Lee, Abbott, Hutchinson, and Ducey, and a larger donation of $25,000 toKay Ivey.
Home Depot: donated $5000 to Ron DeSantis, $17,000 to Greg Abbott, and $26,000 to Mike DeWine.
Walmart: made small donations to DeSantis, Lee, Ducey, Little,Hutchinson, and Ivey and larger donations of $25,000 and $129,000 respectively to Mike DeWine and Greg Abbott.
Toyota: donated $325,000 to Ron DeSantis.
Other Companies
Caterpillar: donated $10,000 to Mike DeWine, $10,000 to Bill Lee, $20,000 to Kay Ivey, $4700 to Asa Hutchinson, $50,000 to Abbott, and $5000 to Doug Ducey.
Disney: donated $110,806 to Ron DeSantis.
Microsoft: donated $6500 to MikeDeWine, $4000 to Ron DeSantis, and $29,000 to Greg Abbott.
Pepsi: small donation to DeWine campaign, $6700 to Asa Hutchinson, $25,000 to Ron DeSantis, and $26,500 to Greg Abbott.
Allstate: small donations to Asa Hutchinson, Doug Ducey, and Brad Little, $25,000 to Ron DeSantis, and $54,500 to Greg Abbott.
Pfizer: small donation to Mike DeWine, $8500 to Brad Little, $10,000 to Doug Ducey, $10,000 to Kay Ivey, $12,000 to Bill Lee, $14,000 to Ron DeSantis, and $41,000 to Greg Abbott.
AstraZeneca: small donations to the campaigns of Mike DeWine and Brad Little, $16,000 to to Greg Abbott.
More to be added soon.