States That Restrict Transition Care for Minors Undergo Surge in Law Enforcement

Over the past few months, states have passed laws aimed at regulating the lives of transgender youth, enacting restrictions on gender-affirming medical care, public bathroom access, and sports participation for transgender children and teenagers. These states have largely been Republican-led, with over 17 states this year alone enacting bans or significant new restrictions on some or all gender-affirming care for minors. Most of these laws end the use of cross-sex hormones and puberty blockers.

Before this year, only three states had passed restrictions; however, this year, lawmakers have passed a series of laws prohibiting transgender students from using restrooms that match their gender identity. Several states have also banned Medicaid from covering transition care for adults.

Bills barring young transgender people from competing on sports teams that correspond with their gender identity have also been a Republican priority in more than 20 states, with most passed from 2021 to 2022. These bills primarily prohibit transgender girls and women, and anyone assigned male at birth, from playing on middle school and high school girls’ sports teams at public schools or private schools that play against public schools. Most also apply to elementary schools and higher education institutions. Before these laws, states, districts, and schools had a patchwork of rules on athletic participation. Some states, like Utah, have injunctions on sports bans, and decisions about whether transgender girls can participate are made on a case-by-case basis.

Legislatures have passed other laws that reshape school and life for young LGBTQ+ people, including restrictions on teaching sexual orientation and gender identity, laws that require teachers to inform parents of a student’s changed pronoun or name in school, and laws that define sex in ways that could lead to discrimination. Restrictions have also been put in place on where drag shows can be performed, regulating whether people can change their sex on their birth certificates, and more.

Advocates and physicians, who provide transition care, have criticized the restrictions, saying they are infringing on adolescents’ rights and those of their parents while imposing decisions that should be solely left to medical professionals and families. They project these laws will result in mental health issues for trans teens. Groups supporting LGBTQ+ rights have challenged these laws in numerous states. Meanwhile, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association endorse adolescents’ access to gender-affirming care.