'Jeopardy!' Star Amy Schneider to Testify Against Banning Puberty Blockers

Amy Schneider, the highest-earning woman in Jeopardy! history and first openly transgender woman to qualify for the show's "Tournament of Champions," will appear before the Ohio legislature Wednesday for a hearing on a state bill that would block gender-affirming care for minors.

Schneider, an Ohio native, is attending the hearing as a representative for Equality Ohio, an LGBTQ advocacy group. According to a release from the group, Wednesday's hearing for House Bill 454, also known as the Save Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act, will be open to the public.

"The House Bill 454 would have devastating consequences for Ohio's children," Schneider told Newsweek on Tuesday. "Passing this bill would put the lives of some children in grave danger, a danger that not all of them would survive. I hope my testimony will lend a voice to the voiceless."

Ohio's SAFE Act would ban gender reassignment surgery as well as the use of puberty blockers or hormones for children under 18. The bill also states that medical professionals, including doctors or mental health professionals, who violate the law could face professional discipline and civil lawsuits from the child on which the procedure was performed or from the youth's family.

According to Ohio's legislature site, the bill was introduced in the statehouse in October 2021 by primary sponsors and Republicans Gary Click and Diane Grendell. The Ohio GOP retained control of both the House and the Senate after last week's midterm elections, reported the Associated Press.

Schneider grew up in Dayton, Ohio, and has been vocal about wanting to serve as an inspiration to young transgender people. The Jeopardy! star also took a stance on Ohio's politics in December 2021, writing to her followers on Twitter to "remember that, no matter who the Republican candidate is, one of their goals in office will be to make life harder for me personally."

Ohio's bill is similar to legislation that's been introduced or passed in several other states that aim to restrict gender-affirming care for children, including a bill introduced by Tennessee's GOP leadership last week. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, Arkansas, Alabama, Texas and Arizona have already enacted such legislation and this year, 15 states are considering bills related to gender care for minors.

Kathryn Poe, public policy and digital communications manager for Equality Ohio, said in the group's release that it was "heinous that in 2022, when an overwhelming majority of Ohioans support equality, that bills like HB 454 are using up our tax dollars ..."

"We don't need our private decisions controlled by politicians," Poe continued.

Update 11/15/22, 8:18 p.m. ET: This story has been updated with additional comment from Schneider.