The law limiting trans health care is signed by the North Dakota governor

Making Minnesota a safe place for trans people: State Rep. Tim Walz, a Democrat, and Senate Majority Leader Tim Scott

Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, New Mexico and Utah all have laws that protect access to health care for trans people. The Minnesota legislature is expected to pass a bill on Friday that protects youth and parents who seek health care.

“We are going to lead on this issue,” said Gov. Tim Walz, a second-term Democrat at an LGBTQ rights rally last week. I want to make a note that you are important to the fabric that makes Minnesota the best place in the country to live, because you are part of it.

State Rep. Scott said that the bill would violate the fundamental right of parenting and made Minnesota a sanctuary state for gender-affirming care.

The Journal of the American Medical Association shows that providing gender-affirming care decreases anxiety, depression and other adverse mental health outcomes.

Republicans in the state legislature have said this kind of care can have long-lasting impacts. They do not want to extend legal protections to families traveling for gender care services.

The Maryland Trans Equity Act will align the kinds of gender-affirming treatments covered under the state’s Medicaid plan with care offered by private insurers.

The bill signed last week by the Democratic governor ensured that people in other states can come to Colorado for an abortion, puberty blockers, or gender-affirming care if they so choose. The law also extends legal protections to providers of abortions and gender-affirming care and a separate law expands insurance coverage.

The idea of making Colorado a safe place for trans individuals was first floated last year by a Colorado lawmaker. Democrats decided to ignore the issue until this year.

Innocence of Gender-Aware Treatment Under Michigan’s Elliott-Larsen Act and Implications for Transgender Healthcare in North Dakota

The measures to extend legal protections and expand insurance coverage faced lengthy hearings and floor debates, but Republicans didn’t have the votes to defeat them.

Cynthia Halversion, a Colorado Springs resident testified against the bill to expand insurance coverage saying she worries it opens the door to “illegitimate practices and practitioners, to perform acts that are against the constitution of the United States of America and the safety and protection of all children.”

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, signed a law last month to add those categories under Michigan’s Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act, which originally protected religion, race, color, national origin, age, sex, height, weight, familial status, or marital status.

“I am thrilled to be here and to sign this bill that will put us on the correct side of history!” she exclaimed as she prepared to sign it. More than 40 years of attempts to add LGBTQ protections to state law have ended with that move.

“While I fully support this original intent of the Elliott-Larsen Act and understand the importance of protecting individuals from discrimination, I also believe that it is crucial to respect the religious beliefs of small business owners and employers,” said Republican state Rep. Rachelle Smit.

The original law is partially named for a Republican who says gay rights were always part of the protections.

North Dakota’s Republican Gov. Doug Burgum signed a bill into law that restricts transgender health care in the state, immediately making it a crime to give gender-affirming care to people younger than 18.

The measure that Burgum signed Wednesday received veto-proof support from GOP lawmakers — though some Republicans did vote against it, alongside all Democrats.

He said the law still allows medication treatment for early onset puberty and other rare circumstances with parental consent, and minors currently receiving gender-affirming care will still be able to receive treatment.

“Going forward, thoughtful debate around these complex medical policies should demonstrate compassion and understanding for all North Dakota youth and their families,” he said.

Denials of the Gender-Affirming Treatment of Transgender Children: The Case Against a New State-Dependent Veto

It also enables prosecutors to charge a provider with a misdemeanor — up to 360 days in prison and $3,000 in fines — for giving gender-affirming medication, like puberty blockers, to a trans child.

The American Civil Liberties Union of North Dakota denounced the new law for being a ” vast government overreach” and for being against the constitutional guarantees of equal protection and due process.

Burgum signed a trans athlete ban into law after both the House and Senate had veto-proof majorities. In 2021, Burgum vetoed a bill that would have imposed a transgender athlete ban at that time, but House and Senate lawmakers did not have enough votes back then to override his veto.

The FDA does not approve the medications specifically to treat gender questioning youth, but they have been used for many years as off-label remedies for many medical conditions. Doctors say those decades of use show the treatments aren’t experimental.

Research has shown that transgender youths and adults can be prone to suicidal behavior when forced to live as the sex they were assigned at birth. Conservatives are trying to motivate their voting base with legislation to restrict gender-affirming care for children.