Shaw: Alarming effects from North Dakota’s new anti-transgender laws

Severe consequences from North Dakota’s horrific new anti-transgender laws are starting to kick in. A terrific psychiatrist, Dr. Gabriela Balf, of Bismarck, is moving to Wisconsin. She is leaving with her husband, another physician.

Balf treats adolescents with gender dysphoria. She tried very hard to prevent these laws from passing. She testified and wrote letters. Despite her expertise, she was ignored by closed-minded legislators who have no medical training.

“I’m leaving because my education, skills and experience are not valued here,” Balf told me. “I want to scream when legislators say we physicians don’t know what we’re doing. I feel disrespected. I feel insulted.”

Balf and her husband leaving is a huge loss for the state.

“These new laws are devastating and will cause major harm,” Balf said. “I’m not giving up.”

Sources say some doctors are no longer considering moving to North Dakota. Meantime, clinics are canceling appointments or sending patients to Minnesota. One North Dakota man told me his 17-year-old daughter, who is not transgender, had an appointment to treat problems with her menstruation. The clinic called to say they have canceled the appointment until she turns 18, because of the state’s new laws.

“We are being denied health care,” the father told me. “It’s just wrong. It’s flabbergasting. It’s unjust. It’s a lack of freedom.”

The daughter now plans to leave North Dakota, while the father is furious about the new legislation.

“It’s short-sighted, closed-minded, very selfish and incomprehensible,” he said.

Levi Pierpoint, 22, a gay man from Minot, says he will now leave the state.

“The new laws are very disturbing,” Levi told me. “They make me feel not welcome here. I can’t stay here. There’s no question in my mind. I don’t feel safe or comfortable here.”

Also leaving, from Fargo to Moorhead, are

all FM Pride events.

For Rynn Willgohs, 51, a transgender woman from Fargo, the new bathroom bill is terrifying.

“I won’t go to NDSU or public buildings because of the bathroom bill,” Rynn told me. “The Legislature has told me that even though I have a female body, I have to use the men’s room. The last time I tried to use a men’s room, somebody was choking me. I thought he would kill me.”

Even before the new laws, life was already tough for Rynn.

“People have threatened to cut off my boobs,” Rynn said. “I have been called a child molester and a faggot. One person told me he would burn my house down. Another said, ‘I can’t wait to legally hunt you folks down.’ ”

Rynn said the new laws send a terrible message.

“Having this legislation brought forward condemns our existence,” Rynn said. “It justifies hatred. I am a woman. I have the body and brain of a woman. Now, we’re a bigger and easy target. It’s going to get worse. There’s going to be an increase in hate crimes in this state. I’m afraid to go out in public in certain places.”

Next week: Transgender children and their families

Shaw is a former WDAY TV reporter and former KVRR TV news director.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Forum’s editorial board nor Forum ownership.

InForum columnist Jim Shaw is a former WDAY TV reporter and former KVRR TV news director.