Illinois senator’s bill on transgender ‘mental illness’ sparks debate

By Catrina Barker | The Center Square contributor
The Center Square

(The Center Square) – State Sen. Andrew Chesney, R–Freeport, is pushing legislation that would classify transgenderism as a mental illness under Illinois’ Mental Health Code, a move he says is intended to direct individuals toward treatment rather than medical transition.

The proposal, Senate Bill 3842, has drawn strong criticism from LGBTQ+ advocates.

In a social media post, the Rev. Hank Fairman, senior pastor at St. John United Church of Christ in Freeport, Illinois, called the bill “ill-informed” and “dangerous,” saying it puts the transgender community “in the crosshairs of hate.”

He emphasized that transgender people are “whole, complex, beloved people, equally made in God’s image” and argued that the bill represents partisan posturing rather than true representation of constituents in the 45th Senate District.

Chesney explained his reasoning for the bill, highlighting what he called the “irreversible harm” resulting from gender-affirming medical treatments.

“If a biological person feels like they are of the other sex, let’s get to the root cause and let’s get them treatment of that belief rather than affirm that [belief] and move down the path of a medical transition that is irreversible, life-altering, and, in my view, incredibly damaging,” Chesney said.

Chesney framed the legislation as an effort to expand mental health resources to those he identifies as suffering from gender dysphoria.

“We want to make sure that the billions of dollars we spend on mental health resources are also available to those who suffer from gender dysphoria and gender-related conditions,” said Chesney.

According to recent state budget reports, the Illinois Department of Human Services and the Department of Healthcare and Family Services spent more than $2.2 billion in fiscal year 2021–22 on services ranging from crisis intervention to psychiatric care.

“We want people to get treatment, and I think the treatment should extend to the trans community and for those that suffer from gender issues,” he said. “It’s nothing more than that. It’s not to be adversarial. It’s not to be hateful. It’s actually coming from a loving heart to suggest that if somebody suffers from this illness, that they have all the available resources, no different than if somebody suffers from schizophrenia.”

He cited data points he says underscore the need for a mental health approach.

“There are a number of metrics – from incident rates to depression to suicide rates – that show people who are trans, or who believe they are of another sex, suffer at higher rates than traditional males and females,” Chesney said. “Identifying the problem and providing mental health treatment is a better path than a scalpel.”

In Illinois, 41% of LGBTQ+ young people seriously considered suicide in the past year, and 12% attempted suicide. For transgender and nonbinary youth, those rates are higher, 48% seriously considered suicide and 15% attempted it within the past year, according to the 2024 Trevor Project survey.

A study of transgender adults found that 81% have thought about suicide and 42% have attempted it.

Chesney acknowledged the bill will face opposition. “We fully expect pushback and we expect the Democrats to summarily reject this position,” he said, adding that he believes most people “believe in society that if somebody feels opposite of their born gender, there’s something going on.”