Idaho Republicans pass House bill forcing doctors to out transgender kids

Republicans in the Idaho House have passed legislation that would require teachers, doctors, and other youth-serving professionals to disclose when a minor identifies as transgender, forcing schools and medical providers to “out” transgender youth to their parents.

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The measure, House Bill 822, cleared the chamber this week in a 59–9 vote and now heads to the state Senate. If enacted, the bill would require educators, health care providers, and child care workers to notify parents within 3 days if a minor asks to socially transition.

Under the proposal, social transition is defined broadly. It includes requests to use a different name or pronouns, to access bathrooms or locker rooms aligned with a different gender, to participate on sports teams associated with another gender, or to stay in overnight accommodations tied to another gender.

Related: California bans forced outing of LGBTQ+ students as Gov. Gavin Newsom signs landmark law

Related: Iowa House Republicans pass a bill that will make the lives of transgender residents worse

The legislation’s sponsor, Republican Rep. Bruce Skaug, argued during debate that the bill is about restoring parental authority. “This loophole needs to be closed about parental knowledge,” Skaug said, saying he had heard from parents who believed schools were withholding information about their children, the Idaho Capital Sun reports.

But critics say the bill would conscript educators and doctors into policing gender identity and fracture the fragile trust that often exists between vulnerable students and the adults meant to support them. The measure also carries unusually severe penalties. Parents could sue professionals who fail to report a child’s gender identity, and the Idaho attorney general could impose fines of up to $100,000.

The legislation lands amid a rapidly escalating national fight over forced outing policies in schools. Just last week, the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily blocked enforcement of a California policy that had barred school districts from requiring teachers to disclose transgender students’ identities to parents without the student’s consent.

The California rule was intended to protect students who might face rejection or harm at home, but opponents argued that it improperly excluded parents from major decisions about their children’s lives. There is a broader national push by conservative lawmakers to require schools to disclose students’ gender identity to parents.

According to research compiled by the Movement Advancement Project, a growing number of states have considered or enacted policies forcing school staff to out transgender students to their families, sometimes regardless of whether doing so could place the child at risk of harm. Advocacy groups warn that such policies can have serious consequences.

Related: Idaho's anti-transgender bathroom law challenged by trans college student

Related: Idaho Republicans are trying to strip localities of nondiscrimination ordinances that protect LGBTQ+ people

GLAAD warns that forced outing policies can jeopardize students’ safety, particularly for youth who may face rejection or abuse at home. Not all LGBTQ+ young people are in supportive environments, the organization says, and schools may be the only places where some students feel safe expressing their identity.

Research suggests the risks are not theoretical. A national study of more than 9,000 LGBTQ+ teenagers found that youth who were outed to their parents reported higher levels of depressive symptoms and lower levels of family support than those who disclosed their identities themselves.

Nearly 70 percent of LGBTQ youth in that research described being outed to their parents as extremely stressful. The study also found that stress tied to being outed was linked to reduced family support, which in turn correlated with higher levels of depression among LGBTQ+ youth.

Advocates say those dynamics help explain why many LGBTQ+ teenagers carefully decide when, or whether, to come out to family members. Adolescents are often still financially and legally dependent on their parents, and the fear of rejection or instability can shape how and when they disclose their identities.

Idaho has already enacted several high-profile restrictions affecting transgender youth, including a 2023 law banning gender-affirming medical care for minors and a 2020 law prohibiting transgender girls from competing in girls’ school sports.

If the new measure becomes law, critics say, the state would go further still, requiring teachers and doctors not just to restrict gender-affirming care, but to reveal deeply personal information about young people who may not yet feel safe sharing it themselves.