11 states considering bills to restrict transgender health care
More than two dozen bills targeting transgender health care have been introduced at the start of 2023 state legislative sessions, AP reports.
The big picture: The new bills come after 2022 saw a wave of anti-transgender legislation nationwide, with at least 34 states introducing more than 145 anti-trans bills.
Driving the news: Republican state lawmakers are focusing on gender-affirming health care, primarily targeting providers and the parents of trans youths.
- Eleven states — Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Virginia — have proposed new legislation so far. Many of the bills look to criminalize helping a trans child obtain the care they’re seeking.
- Republican lawmakers in Oklahoma introduced a bill this week seeking to make it a felony for anyone under the age of 26 to access gender-confirming care.
- Meanwhile in Texas, at least a dozen anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been proposed in the first week of 2023, three of which seek to label providing gender-affirming care to minors a form of child abuse.
Of note: Anti-transgender campaigns resulted in the online harassment of 24 different hospitals and health care providers in 21 states over a recent four-month period, Axios’ Ina Fried reports.
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