Bans on best-practice medical care represent one of the most extreme and coordinated political attacks on transgender people in recent years. These bills target transgender youth by blocking their access to best-practice medical care, care that is backed by years of rigorous research and endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, and other leading health authorities. These bills not only display a fundamental lack of understanding of transgender children, but they also ban access to medical care often by criminalizing either the doctors or even the parents of transgender youth seeking to provide best-practice medicine for children in their care. For more on these efforts, read MAP's 2021 spotlight report.
*Notes (and see "Citations" tab or click "Citations & More Information" below the map legend for more information about every state):
-Yellow caution icons do not refer to bills introduced (as of February 2023, nearly 4 out of 5 states have introduced these bills) but rather other efforts attempting to limit or ban health care for transgender youth, such as non-legislative actions. See the "Citations" tab or click "Citations & More Information" below the map legend for more information about every state. (These each link to the same document.)
-Alabama: In May 2022, a federal judge temporarily blocked the part of the state's law that bans medication for transgender youth, though the rest of the law remains in effect for now, including the felony punishment and provisions that require school staff to tell parents if a child expresses thoughts that they might be transgender.
-Arizona: The state's law (SB1138, 2022) does not go into effect until March 31, 2023. The law bans gender-affirming surgical care for minors, though it does not ban other forms of best-practice medical care, such as hormone-related medication.
-Arkansas: In July 2021, a federal judge temporarily blocked Arkansas's law from going into effect. This map will be updated as that case progresses.
-Missouri: On March 20, 2023, the state's attorney general announced he is pursuing "emergency regulation" to effectively ban best practice medical care for transgender youth. These regulations have not yet been formally issued or provided to the state. The attorney general also cited no specific legal statute granting him such authority, and this effort's legality remains in question. This map will be updated as this situation unfolds.
Recommended citation:
Movement Advancement Project. "Equality Maps: Bans on Best Practice Medical Care for Transgender Youth."
https://www.mapresearch.org/equality-maps/healthcare/youth_medical_care_bans. Accessed 03/22/2023.
*Note: These percentages reflect estimates of the LGBTQ adult population living in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Estimates of the LGBTQ adult population in the five inhabited U.S. territories are not available, and so cannot be reflected here.
16 % of LGBTQ population lives in states that ban best practice medication and surgical care for transgender youth
2 % of LGBTQ population lives in states that ban best practice surgical care for transgender youth
82 % of LGBTQ population lives in states that do not ban best practice medical care for transgender youth
10 % of LGBTQ population lives in states that have taken steps to ban or restrict best practice medical care for transgender youth, but state law does not ban this care (see note beneath map)
| State | Bans on Medical Care for Transgender Youth |
| Alabama | State does not have this law |
| Alaska | |
| American Samoa | |
| Arizona | State does not have this law |
| Arkansas | State does not have this law |
| California | |
| Colorado | |
| Connecticut | |
| Delaware | |
| District of Columbia | |
| Florida | State does not have this law |
| Georgia | State does not have this law |
| Guam | |
| Hawaii | |
| Idaho | |
| Illinois | |
| Indiana | |
| Iowa | State does not have this law |
| Kansas | |
| Kentucky | |
| Louisiana | |
| Maine | |
| Maryland | |
| Massachusetts | |
| Michigan | |
| Minnesota | |
| Mississippi | State does not have this law |
| Missouri | |
| Montana | |
| Nebraska | |
| Nevada | |
| New Hampshire | |
| New Jersey | |
| New Mexico | |
| New York | |
| North Carolina | |
| North Dakota | |
| Northern Mariana Islands | |
| Ohio | |
| Oklahoma | |
| Oregon | |
| Pennsylvania | |
| Puerto Rico | |
| Rhode Island | |
| South Carolina | |
| South Dakota | State does not have this law |
| Tennessee | State does not have this law |
| Texas | |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | |
| Utah | State does not have this law |
| Vermont | |
| Virginia | |
| Washington | |
| West Virginia | |
| Wisconsin | |
| Wyoming |
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Founded in 2006, the Movement Advancement Project (MAP) is an independent, nonprofit think tank that provides rigorous research, insight and communications that help speed equality and opportunity for all.
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