A flurry of bills introduced by a single legislator from Lake Country has prompted more than a dozen hours of fiery public hearings as advocates for transgender youth push back and share their stories.
The bills, introduced by state Rep. Barbara Dittrich (R-Oconomowoc), would ban participation in womens' sports for female transgender athletes at both the K-12 level and at the collegiate level. Another bill aims to prohibit teachers from using a student's preferred name in class without their parents' knowledge, and a fourth would prohibit gender-affirming care for minors.
This isn’t the first time Dittrich has taken a swing at trans athletes. She introduced a version of the K-12 ban on trans athletes competing on women’s teams in 2021, and the bill failed to pass out of the Legislature. In 2024, a similar bill passed the Legislature but was vetoed by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.
For J.J. Koechell, 20, these bills are personal. He's a transgender man and an advocate for LGBTQ+ youth and their families. He sent WUWM audio diaries he kept as he went to Madison last week to fight against the bills.
"I know I gotta maintain my composure because I’m not just speaking for me, I’m speaking for the young people that couldn’t be at the capitol themselves because they’re afraid of being labeled horrible people," Koechell said. "And it’s so important to have your voice heard."
Wisconsin Rep. hopes to codify Trump order banning trans athletes in state law. Why?
Koechell said it’s scary times today for trans people. Earlier this year, Sam Nordquist, a transgender man from Minnesota, was allegedly tortured for over a month before being killed. And last month in Milwaukee, a transgender woman was shot and killed in her home.
Rep. Dittrich said she was originally mocked when she introduced these bills. She was told she was creating a solution in search of a problem.
"When I began with this legislation it came from a constituent of mine who said, 'I heard this is happening, what are you going to do to protect my daughter who is in sports?' And I thought, 'Wow, this is a curious thing,'" Dittrich said at a hearing.
Dittrich added that she introduced the bills to codify Republican President Donald Trump’s executive order banning trans athletes from competing on womens’ teams in Wisconsin state law. Passing the bills would mean that the policy would hold even if a future president repeals Trump’s executive order.
But it's not clear how many female transgender athletes actually play in Wisconsin.
In December, NCAA President Charlie Baker said out of the over half a million NCAA student-athletes, fewer than 10 are transgender. Meanwhile, Wisconsin’s Interscholastic Athletic Association doesn’t keep track of transgender athletes who play high school sports.
Nevertheless, WIAA last month announced it had updated its eligibility policy to bar trans athletes from competing on womens’ teams. Executive Director Stephanie Hauser said WIAA made the change to "affirm its compliance with federal directives” issued by Trump.
After similar bills were vetoed last year, those in opposition are asking why now is the time to revisit them.
State Rep. Angela Stroud (D-Ashland) said it’s an easy political win before the upcoming April election. What’s Republicans' plan, she asked, to deal with potentially catastrophic cuts to programs like Social Security or Medicaid?
"Instead we have these hearings where trans people have to defend their lives against a majority party that is very content to demonize a tiny minority for their own political advantage," Stroud said.
'Finally able to be me': Man who provided testimony reflects on gender-affirming care
For Koechell, bills that limit access to gender-affirming care are directly harmful to young people trying to figure out who they are.
When Koechell was in sixth grade, he said he was so miserable and so unsupported that he attempted suicide. He ended up in the hospital before moving to residential treatment.
"And there I finally said, 'I’m a guy and I can’t live that way and no one will listen to me,'" he said. "My parents finally did listen and said, 'OK if you’re a guy, we’ll figure things out.' And it was after they accepted me that I was finally happy. I was finally able to be me."
That moment represented a turn in his life that has led to him feeling self-fulfilled and confident enough to advocate on behalf of others.
The 19 hours of public hearings on Wisconsin's latest bills have been grueling. While almost all of the testimony was against the legislation, representatives from the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, Moms for Liberty and Gays Against Grooming spoke in support.
While recent polling shows Americans have become more supportive of restricting trans rights, Larry Jones from Milwaukee said his mind was changed after listening to the testimony.
"I was one of the critics that sat on the side and made a decision that there were only two genders. So I got an education that was unbelievable," he said. "My perspective for people has changed. I don’t want to take up no more of your time. I’d like to apologize for being here and I learned a very lot about this group of people."
For Koechell, all that time spent at the state house was worth it. He was sharing his story for those that couldn’t be there.
"I’m really tired. Drained. Exhausted and really happy," he said in his final audio diary entry.
Jimmy Gutierrez and Katherine Kokal are reporters at 89.7 WUWM - Milwaukee's NPR. Have a question or a story idea? You can reach them at gutier42@uwm.edu or at kokal@uwm.edu
