Transgender Health Care Restrictions Face Resistance in Three States

Republican efforts to restrict gender-transitioning treatment for minors faced pushback in Kansas, Missouri, and Tennessee. Kansas lawmakers failed to override the Democratic governor's veto of a bill that would have banned the care for minors. A Missouri judge temporarily blocked the enforcement of an emergency rule that would have restricted treatment for transgender children and adults. The Justice Department sued Tennessee over its new ban, asserting that it violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. At least 11 states have passed laws or policies in recent months that ban or significantly limit the use of puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and transition surgery for people under 18.