Democrat lawmakers flee chamber when faced with end of tax-funded body mutilations for inmates

Georgia House Democrats staged a walkout at the Georgia State Capitol Wednesday, leaving the chamber in protest as lawmakers debated a bill that would end taxpayer-funded sex change surgeries for state prison inmates.

The walkout occurred amidst a heated debate over Senate Bill (SB) 185, which subsequently passed the House by a 100-2 vote, with all Democrats opting out of the vote through their departure, according to Fox Atlanta. The bill received opposition solely from Georgia Democratic Rep. Regina Lewis-Ward and David Sampson. They cast the only two ‘no’ votes while their colleagues walked out in protest. The bill now awaits Republican Gov. Brian Kemp’s signature.

SB 185 prohibits the use of state funds for sex change surgeries, hormone replacement therapies and cosmetic procedures designed to alter sexual characteristics for state inmates in Georgia. Exceptions are allowed for medically necessary treatments unrelated to gender dysphoria, specific congenital conditions, partial androgen insensitivity syndrome and for continuing pre-existing hormone therapies solely for transitional purposes.

Before the walkout, Republican Georgia Rep. Scott Hilton, who introduced the bill on the House floor, said that his constituents oppose using taxpayer money for sex change surgeries for inmates in state custody, saying it provides better health care than what “law-abiding citizens” receive. However, Democratic Georgia Rep. Tanya Miller, who chairs the House Democratic Caucus, criticized Republicans for focusing on this bill when she said that only five state inmates have requested such care. She said debating the issue on the penultimate day of this year’s legislative session overlooks more urgent concerns like education, healthcare and public safety.

“Our constituents sent us here to address serious pressing issues affecting their daily lives,” Miller said. “Yet, instead of addressing real problems, my colleagues in the majority party continue their extreme agenda.”

After the Democrats walked out of the chamber, Republican Rep. Trey Kelley denounced their exit and said that leaving the chamber instead of advocating for fiscal responsibility was disgraceful. Republican House Majority Whip James Burchett said that elections have outcomes and added that Georgia taxpayers deem this issue significant and oppose funding elective surgeries.

Republicans said that the bill allows for exceptions, permitting the Georgia Department of Corrections to cover treatments deemed medically necessary, including for inmates with chromosomal abnormalities that cause ambiguous biological sex. In response, Miller said that the bill is an assault on Georgia’s transgender community.

California provides sex change surgeries for inmates, having spent over $4 million on such procedures since 2017. The state’s Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has seen a significant increase in requests for these surgeries, with numbers expected to rise further in the coming years.

In contrast, states like Georgia, Idaho and Texas have enacted strict limitations or outright bans on providing sex change surgeries to minors and, in some cases, extended these restrictions to adults, including inmates.

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