Which States Ban Gender-Affirming Care for Minors? The Full List as of November 2026

TransHealthHub

4 days ago

4 min read

Key Takeaways

27 states have laws banning some or all of this medical care for minors as of November 2026, according to the Movement Advancement Project. Puerto Rico has one as well.
Courts currently block the bans in Kansas and Montana, and Arizona's law covers surgery only.
About 48% of transgender youth ages 13 to 17 live in states that ban both medication and surgical care, with another 2% in a surgery-only state, by the same count.
The number of states grew from four in June 2022 to 23 by January 2024, according to KFF.
You will see this care called gender-affirming care in news coverage and on trackers. This page calls it supportive care, and the meaning does not change.

The short answer

The states that ban gender-affirming care for minors, as of October 29, 2026, are the 27 listed in the table below, according to the Movement Advancement Project. Twenty-four have a ban in effect on medication and surgery, one restricts surgery only, and two are blocked by courts. At TransHealthHub, we keep this list dated, and our explainer covers what this care is.

The full list of states

The Movement Advancement Project sorts state bans into three groups. The table reflects its data as of November 2026.

Status	States	Count
Ban in effect on medication and surgery	Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, Wyoming	24
Ban on surgery only	Arizona	1
Ban blocked by a court	Kansas, Montana	2

In the other 23 states and the District of Columbia, no state law bans this care for minors.

How the list grew

Most of these laws are recent. KFF counted four states with laws or policies limiting minors' access in June 2022 and 23 by January 2024. Its current tracker, last updated September 29, 2026, counts 27 states with enacted laws or policies and says 25 bans remain in place.

The Supreme Court's June 18, 2025, decision in United States v. Skrmetti upheld Tennessee's ban against an Equal Protection challenge. Cases built on state constitutions have continued, and they account for the current blocks in Kansas and Montana.

Where the trackers differ

The two main trackers agree on the total but not on every state's status. KFF's tracker still describes Arkansas's ban as permanently blocked. In August 2025, however, a federal appeals court lifted that injunction in an 8-2 ruling. The ruling cleared the way for the law to be enforced after four years. The Movement Advancement Project lists Arkansas's ban as in effect and Kansas's as blocked because of a May 2026 state court order. When the two disagree, the more recent date and the underlying court record are the better guide.

What the bans cover

These laws restrict medical care, and their details differ from state to state. Tennessee's law, as the Supreme Court described it, bars providers from giving puberty-pausing medication or hormones to a minor so the minor can live as a gender different from their sex, while allowing the same drugs for conditions such as early puberty.

KFF reports that 24 states impose professional or legal penalties on healthcare practitioners who provide this care to minors. The Movement Advancement Project counts six states and one territory where certain care is a felony, and it notes that several states allow care that began before a ban to continue or taper off.

How many young people live in these states

The Movement Advancement Project estimates that 48% of transgender youth ages 13 to 17 live in states that ban both medication and surgical care, and 2% live in a state that bans surgery only. In The Trevor Project's 2025 survey of more than 16,000 LGBTQ+ young people ages 13 to 24 in the United States, published in May 2026, 38% of transgender and nonbinary respondents said recent laws, policies, and debates made them or their family consider moving to a different state.

The American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Psychological Association, and Endocrine Society regard this care as evidence-based and medically necessary, as our evidence overview explains. The American Psychological Association's February 2024 policy "affirms APA's support for unobstructed access to health care."

Frequently asked questions

Which states ban gender-affirming care for minors with criminal penalties? The Movement Advancement Project counts six states and one territory where certain care is a felony. Its summary does not name them, so check your own state's law.

Do any states protect this care? Yes. The Movement Advancement Project counts 16 states and the District of Columbia with shield laws, plus two states with shield executive orders.

Will this list change? Yes, it can. Litigation continues in Kansas and Montana, and state legislatures can pass new laws each session.