Wyoming GOP defends child marriage while claiming it’s trans rights that harm children

A little girl wearing a white wedding dress
Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Wyoming Republicans continue to propose anti-trans legislation under the guise of protecting youth. But despite the GOP’s supposed concern for the safety of children, the state’s GOP is waging a campaign against a bill that would prohibit child marriage.

Wyoming’s H.B. 7 seeks to ban marriages involving anyone under the age of 16 and would allow 16 and 17-year-olds to marry with parental consent. Current Wyoming law has no minimum age requirement for marriage. For those under 16, parents must receive a judge’s consent. The bill would take away a judge’s ability to do so and simply make it illegal for those under 16 to marry.

Opponents of child marriage say that it places children at the risk of being victims of violence and robs them of their childhood. They have criticized the Wyoming bill because most child marriages involve girls who are 16 or 17, but some conservatives are opposing the bill for the opposite reason: they believe younger children should be able to get married.

A mass email sent Thursday from the Wyoming Republican party reportedly…

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