Christie supports parental consent for transgender procedures on minors.

Former Governor Chris Christie Supports Transgender Procedures for Minors with Parental Consent

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a declared candidate for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, believes that transgender procedures on minors, including hormone blockers, should be allowed as long as a parent consents.

During his tenure as governor, Christie signed a law that permits self-identifying transgender minors to use bathrooms according to their professed gender identity. This move sparked a national debate on transgender individuals using bathrooms that align with their gender identity.

Currently, several states have enacted laws restricting access to transgender procedures for minors due to an increase in the number of youths questioning their gender identity.

States with Laws Limiting Transgender Procedures for Minors:

• Florida
• Georgia
• Mississippi
• Arkansas
• Tennessee
• Kentucky
• West Virginia
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Oklahoma
• South Dakota
• North Dakota
• Montana
• Idaho
• Utah
• Arizona

Similar legislation is pending in Texas, Louisiana, North Carolina, Missouri, Kansas, and Wyoming. In total, 33 states have at least one pending bill addressing this topic.

Critics argue that minors lack the developmental capacity to make such life-altering decisions. They contend that procedures like double mastectomy, chemical or physical castration, and potentially sterilizing hormones and puberty blockers are permanent and fail to consider the possibility that a child may later become comfortable with their biological sex. Supporters, on the other hand, assert that these procedures are the most effective way to address gender dysphoria, a condition where one’s perceived gender does not align with their assigned gender at birth.

Christie takes a middle-ground stance on the issue, stating that he would allow the procedures as president but would prioritize parental involvement.

“Many Republican governors across the country have been banning hormone therapy and puberty blockers for transgender people under 18 years old,” anchor Jake Tapper said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

“As governor of New Jersey, you signed into law some legal protections for trans people, including students. What do you make of your fellow Republican governors and candidates going in the opposite direction?”

“Jake, what I believe we should be focused on most importantly in these issues, is making sure there’s parental involvement and every step along the way,” Christie replied.

“I don’t think that the government should ever be stepping into the place of the parents in helping to move their children through a process where those children are confused or concerned about their gender. And I just would say the parents are the people who are best positioned to make these judgments. And so what I’d like to make sure each state does is require that parents be involved in these decisions.

“The fact is, that folks who are under the age of 18 should have parental support and guidance and love as they make all of the key decisions of their life,” the New Jersey Republican added. “And this should not be one that’s excluded by the government in any way.”

Christie’s stance puts him at odds with some of his top rivals for the GOP nomination.

Former President Donald Trump, who currently leads in the polls for the party’s nomination, has vowed to “defeat the cult of gender ideology” as a key part of his platform.