THE ATTACK ON GENDERAFFIRMING CARE

Across the United States, gender-affirming healthcare is being banned, with the majority of bans targeting transgender youth under the age of 18. According to an April 2023 report from the Movement Advancement Project, a policy think-tank that tracks anti-LGBTQ state legislation across the country, 24 states have considered a bill to ban or restrict medically necessary care for at least some transgender people, and 15 states have passed one. It should be noted that the majority of these bills were introduced within the last three years, with the number of bills increasing each year.

Unfortunately, Southern states have been at the forefront of this wave of anti-trans bills. Across the South, an estimated 66,100 transgender youth will be impacted by gender affirming healthcare bans. In 2021, Arkansas was the first state to pass a ban on gender-affirming