Education Subcommittee Chair Simonds buzzed the timer on Michele's testimony the day before at 1 minute.
Michele had driven hours in the dark to testify.
Sage's mother Michele testifies before the Virginia Senate Subcommittee on Education and Health: Public Education. The bill failed on party lines (Democrats NO, Republicans YES). The full Education Committee voted Feb. 8 to KILL Sage's Law, again on party lines, with no discussion or debate. See who voted to kill Sage's Law.
This testimony by Michele, when Sage's Law was first introduced last year, went viral. Sage's Law passed this Committee in 2023, as well as the Republican-led House. But it was killed in the Democrat-led Senate Education Committee. Democrats had a new opportunity now to protect kids and pass Sage's Law. They failed again.
Dr. Mason is a practicing pediatrician of 25 years, a founding member of the Society for Evidence-Based
Gender Medicine, and a published researcher on pediatric gender medicine. She led a multi-year effort by member pediatricians to have the American Academy of Pediatrics conduct a systematic review (the gold standard) of the evidence for pediatric gender transition, which the AAP has never done. Dr. Mason addresses the fact that the scientific evidence in fact does NOT show that pediatric gender affirmation reduces suicide.
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