Elliot Page Tweets Condemnation of Alabama Anti-Trans Bill

Transgender actor of "The Umbrella Academy" fame Elliot Paige took to Twitter to decry an anti-trans bill the Alabama State Senate approved March 3.

Called Vulnerable Child Compassion and Protection Act, the bill has been savaged by critics for taking aim at trans youth and care providers. Page joined the bill's critics, tweeting such laws are "deadly," encouraging followers to contact Alabama state lawmakers with their opposition.

CBS News reported the
proposed legislation "would make it a felony for medical professionals to treat transgender minors under the age of 19 with gender-affirming care," and provides punishments of "up to 10 years in prison or a $15,000 fine."

Alabama State Senate's bill was sent to their House of Representatives, "which has already approved a companion bill," CBS noted.

Proponents claim that the measure is intended to "protect" children who, they contend, are not old enough to make such profoundly life-altering decisions, hormone therapy or gender affirmation surgery.

The specter of children receiving such surgery has been repeatedly raised by GOP lawmakers in states across the country where anti-trans bills are being debated. However, The New York Times noted in an article about Senator Rand Paul's confirmation hearing attacks on Doctor Rachel Levine, a pediatrician and nominee for the post of assistant secretary of health, "gender reassignment surgery for minors... is generally not done in the United States."

Critics zeroed in on another of the bill's provisions, noting it mandates schools to inform parents when a student has a "perception that his or her gender is inconsistent with his or her" anatomical sex.

"Essentially, teachers would be required to 'out' transgender students to their guardians – regardless of whether they are ready to do so," CBS News said.

Sam Brinton of the Trevor Project, a group dedicated to preventing suicides among LGBTQ youth, issued a statement in which they warned that such a law would "endanger young trans lives in Alabama," and said the bill "contradicts the consensus of major medical associations and the overwhelming evidence that demonstrates how affirming transgender and nonbinary youth in their identities reduces suicide risk and improves health."

"There's absolutely no 'compassion' in threatening doctors with imprisonment for providing trans youth with the best-practice care they need to survive and thrive," Brinton said. "There's no 'fairness' in sidelining a group of young people who already face significantly increased risk for rejection, bullying, and suicide."

The Campaign for Southern Equality's Allison Scott issued a similar warning, saying in a statement the bill is "effectively endangering many possible lifelines for a transgender child" because it would mean that "they can't go to their doctor for help, and they can't seek counsel or comfort from their teachers or school staff."

Page came out as transgender late last year.