Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Oct 4;8(5):405-407.
doi: 10.1089/trgh.2021.0126. eCollection 2023 Oct.

The True Cost of Antitransgender Legislation

Rishub K Das  1 , Brian C Drolet  2   3
Affiliations

The True Cost of Antitransgender Legislation

Rishub K Das et al. Transgend Health. .

Abstract

A large body of research finds that sexual and gender minorities experience disparities in health equity that stem from structural discrimination. In particular, transgender and gender diverse (TGD) patients face barriers in access to gender-affirming care (GAC). As of December 2021, 35 state legislatures have introduced >100 bills that categorically deny TGD individuals' human rights and outlaw medically necessary GAC. Importantly, the economic consequences of discriminatory legislation and denial of health care for TGD individuals are void in the literature. This perspective outlines the economic impact of antitransgender policy and calls for federal intervention to protect TGD rights.

Keywords: advocacy; antitransgender; cost; economic; policy.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

No competing financial interests exist.

References

    1. Ronan W. BREAKING: 2021 becomes record year for anti-transgender legislation. Hum Rights Campaign. 2021;4047:1–8.
    1. Park BC, Das RK, Drolet BC. Increasing criminalization of gender-affirming care for transgender youths—a politically motivated crisis. JAMA Pediatr. 2021;175:1205–1206. - PubMed
    1. Johns MM, Lowry R, Andrzejewski J, et al. . Transgender identity and experiences of violence victimization, substance use, suicide risk, and sexual risk behaviors among high school students—19 states and large urban school districts, 2017. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2019;68:67–71. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Gonzales G, Gavulic KA. The Equality Act is needed to advance health equity for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender populations. Am J Public Health. 2020;110:801–802. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kremen J, Williams C, Barrera EP, et al. . Addressing legislation that restricts access to care for transgender youth. Pediatrics. 2021;147:e2021049940. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources