Rehoboth Beach, Delaware — Today, Governor Matt Meyer signed Executive Order #11 to protect gender-affirming care in Delaware from attempts by the federal and other state governments to criminalize patients and providers. This action comes after months of pressure from the public and several LGBTQ+ and civil rights organizations in the state. Since January, the ACLU of Delaware has delivered messages to the Governor’s office from over 1,400 Delawareans asking Meyer for an executive order in the wake of the federal administration’s attacks on trans individuals and other vulnerable groups.
Executive Order #11 recognizes Delaware as home to tens of thousands of LGBTQ+ people who have historically faced discrimination in healthcare, stating “in Delaware, we reject discrimination in all forms, value the LGBTQ+ community, and will safeguard their rights.” The order mandates that State agencies are not to impose any sanctions on anyone who “provides, receives, inquires about, responds to, or assists with gender-affirming care that is or would otherwise be lawful in Delaware.” Exceptions are made in the case of court orders or requirements of Delaware or federal law.
Meyer's protective order comes just days after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled to uphold a Tennessee law banning gender-affirming care for trans youth, a precedent that further endangers trans people on a national scale. Governor Meyer’s order helps protect the trans community, but many in Delaware are seeking more ways the state can implement safeguards for trans people and other marginalized groups that have been dealing with increasing legislative hostility across the country.
"We will do everything in our power to protect transgender families in the state of Delaware and throughout the country," the Executive Committee of the Delaware Democratic Party PRIDE Caucus said in a press statement earlier this week. "We call on every legislator, from the state and county level to the federal level, to speak out and step up. This is the moment to act – not with caution, but with courage."
During this legislative session, hundreds of constituents have also sent messages to legislators in support of House Bill 145 – a ban on the use of reverse warrants to target individuals based on their search history and geolocation data. Under the current administration, this policing tactic has increasingly been used to target people attempting to find and obtain gender-affirming care, as well as other healthcare needs like abortion providers.
