11 States Have Already Introduced Bills Targeting Transgender Health Care In 2023

More than two dozen anti-transgender and gender non-conforming healthcare bills have already been proposed in 11 states for the legislative session beginning in 2023, part of a larger wave of anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and legislation in the states of USA.

A broader trend: By 2022, at least 15 states will have passed laws limiting access to gender-affirming care or are considering legislation that would, according to the Williams Institute. These bills include Arizona's ban on gender-affirming child care for LGBTQ youth and an Arkansas law banning gender-affirming child care for youth, which is currently awaiting court decision.

New: While several states in 2022 proposed legislation aimed at gender-affirming assistance for transgender and gender nonconforming youth, many bills in the 2023 session will also address assistance for LGBTQ adults ages 21 and 26.

What it is: The advent of these specific laws has led to an increase in threats and violent harassment against children's hospitals with gender reassignment assistance programs. According to a 2022 Trevor Project study, multiple studies have linked gender-affirming care to reduced depression and suicide among transgender and gender nonconforming youth, with nearly one in five considering suicide in the past year.

'Cruel' and 'Dangerous' Bans: Transgender Youth and Access to Gender Affirming Care

Which states will enact transgender health bans in 2023?

The 11 states that have already introduced transgender and gender non-conforming access to health care bills are Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Virginia.

In South Carolina and Kansas, lawmakers have banned gender-affirming care for people under the age of 21, and a bill in Oklahoma would bar doctors from performing gender-affirming care on transgender adults under the age of 26. A Texas bill would make it illegal to prescribe puberty blockers and hormone therapy for teen molesters.

The danger of gender-affirming limitations in care

Several hospitals across the country that provide gender-based care to transgender youth experienced threats of cyberbullying and bullying in 2022, including Boston Children's Hospital and the Vanderbilt Medical Center Transgender Health Clinic.

According to the 2015 US Transgender Survey, those who sought hormone therapy and surgery and those who sought and received hormone therapy and/or surgery had significantly fewer suicidal thoughts and attempts than those who sought hormone therapy and surgery who sought surgical treatment and did not. they made. have.

Important to note: The legislation comes after more than 400 openly LGBTQ candidates won races for elected offices across the state through the 2022 midterm elections, breaking the previous record of 336 set in 2020, according to the LGBTQ Victory Fund, a dedicated political action committee. to elect LGBTQ candidates. .

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Contributed by: Associated Press

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