Governor Murphy this week sent a strong message to the lgbtq plus Community you are welcome and safe in New Jersey signing an executive order protecting gender affirming Health Care directing All State departments to ensure transgender and non-binary adults and minors have equal access to Services regardless of how they identify a senior correspondent Brenda Flanagan reports its welcome news for the community as other states begin restricting those same rights we know that families across the country are being made into Political refugees because of the actions their state governments are taking so Mom Jamie bruzoff cheers Governor Murphy's decision to sign an executive order making New Jersey a safe haven for transgender folks the order protects people who seek or provide gender affirming Health Care in New Jersey even if they've traveled here from a growing number of republican-controlled states where it's banned for the Bruce Hoff family and their trans teen Rebecca it offers Sanctuary he knows that her state has taken a stand and is a safe place for her friends and peers across the country and that at the highest level here in New Jersey she has support and in a time when things are so bad and contentious and transgender kids are under attack every day that's huge you are backed by the government that is saying you can come here you will still have the same treatment you can still have affirming health care you can still be yourself and be safe and also if your States send for you you will still be safe here activist Brielle Winslow [ ó_ó_ ] notes jerseys home to some 30 000 transgender and non-binary residents Murphy's order offers specific protection shielding adults and minors including Health Care Professionals involved in gender affirming Health Care it also bars New Jersey departments and agencies from cooperating with subpoenas or extradition targeting transgender patients from other states it is something that's personal it is something that's targeted activist chatiana Furman says the Murphy order will offer Refuge to people struggling in states with anti-trans laws especially transgender and non-binary youth because it is real we are out here it is not going to stop happening transgender kids are being born every day in a tweet Murphy stated the order establishes New Jersey is a safe haven for gender affirming Health Care air New Jersey's Republican assembly trolled it with this tweet noting the order protects doctors who provide hormone replacement drugs and surgery on children it's linked to one doctor's article arguing pediatric trans treatments over prescribed and needs clearer protocols but Bruce Hoff argues the guidelines are clear and none of them include doing surgery on children that's just not happening so for politicians to get in the way of care that is deemed appropriate by every major medical organization and that is really between a doctor and a patient and their family is is horrifying what if we decided that politicians know more about medicine than actual doctors it's volatile politics a new State website offering transgender information Drew fire from some Ocean County Republican legislators because it's paid for with pandemic relief funds Murphy himself admits as he's signing the order I can't say it's the law of the land because it isn't the governor signed the executive order because a transgender Safe Haven Bill introduced earlier this year still languishing in the legislature where all 120 seats are up for election in November it's become a highly politicized issue and so there is a lot of districts in New Jersey that are worried about passing pro-trans legislation at a time when voters are getting fed a lot of misinformation and so we're super grateful to the Murphy Administration for stepping up to ensure that we don't have to wait until after November to get this type of legislation done to know that New Jersey is a safe place for them and that we have these Protections in place is huge I'm Brenda Flanagan NJ Spotlight news thank you