Transgender Medical Treatments for Minors Banned in Kentucky and West Virginia

Kentucky and West Virginia have enacted laws that restrict individuals under 18 from accessing transgender medical treatments. Kentucky's law prohibits cross-sex hormone therapies, sex-reassignment surgeries, and restricts bathroom use by biological sex. West Virginia's law permits physicians to prescribe hormone therapies if a teen is considered at risk for self-harm or suicide. Both laws have faced opposition from LGBTQ+ advocacy groups who argue that denying transgender medical treatments to trans teens negatively impacts a marginalized group already at higher risk of suicide. At least 11 states have now enacted laws restricting or banning transgender medical treatments for minors.