Access to youth care has been changing, sometimes very rapidly, for a couple of years. Here’s what we know as of late-October 2025:
Shield States
Shield States are states that have laws or executive orders in place to protect patients who are seeking or receiving transgender health care and their physicians and other providers.
Even in shield states, healthcare providers may be stopping care. We’ve seen this happen in several states in the aftermath of the January executive order prohibiting federal funds to organizations that provide youth care. This executive order is being challenged in court, and orders blocking the funding bans are in effect in two cases.
Read more about the current Legal Fights Against the Trump Administration’s attacks on youth care.
Despite the legal fights and legal blocks on stopping funding, several major institutions in shield states have stopped providing care. We want you to know that we receive no federal funding and these funding bans do not affect us. We are still providing care (see more at Getting Care at QueerDoc: Appointments).
Have you been affected by a care stoppage in a shield, or otherwise legal state?
For youth, the Trans Youth Emergency Project may be able to help. TYEP can also help families and youth in ban states.
Trans Family Support Services is also an excellent resource, and may be able to help you navigate finding care and provides health insurance and legal navigation services.
We can see families and youth from other states if they are able to travel to a state where we provide care.
Ban States
Ban States restrict access to transgender care for youth and for adults in some cases (adult care is most often restricted by Medicare coverage denials).
The Movement Advancement Project maintains a map of shield and ban states. Erin in the Morning maintains a risk map
.
States/Territories with Shield Laws or Executive Orders in place as of 9/22/25:
- Washington (A QueerDoc state! Washington State Protects Your Right To Gender Affirming Care)
- Oregon (A QueerDoc state! Deep Dive Into Oregon’s Shield Law)
- California (A QueerDoc state!)
- Colorado
- New Mexico
- Minnesota
- Illinois
- New York
- Vermont
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- Rhode Island
- Connecticut
- Maryland
- Washington, DC.
- New Jersey (executive order)
- Delaware (executive order)
- Arizona
- banned surgical care in 2022
- executive order protecting care in 2023
States/Territories with Bans on Youth Access to Transgender Care
- Idaho (A QueerDoc state! There are no restrictions on adult care. The challenge to the youth ban was dropped after the Skrmetti ruling.)
- Utah (A QueerDoc state! There are no restrictions on adult care.)
- Wyoming (A QueerDoc state! There are no restrictions on adult care.)
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Nebraska
- Kansa
- Oklahoma
- Texas
- Iowa
- Missouri
- Louisiana
- Mississippi
- Indiana
- Kentucky
- Tennessee
- Mississippi
- Ohio
- Alabama
- West Virginia
- North Carolina
- South Carolina
- Georgia
- Florida (A QueerDoc state! There are some restrictions on adult care.)
- Arkansas (the Eighth Circuit upheld the ban in August 2025 after the Skrmetti ruling)
- New Hampshire (2024 ban on surgical care; ban on other treatment goes into effect 1/1/26)
- Puerto Rico
States With A Ban AND A Court Ruling Blocking the Ban:
- Montana (State Supreme Court struck down the law banning transgender care for youth.) A QueerDoc state! Youth and adult care are available.
States/Territories with Neither a Shield Law Nor A Ban:
- Alaska (the Alaska Medical Board is attempting to pass policie restricting youth care.) A QueerDoc state!
- Hawaii A QueerDoc state!
- Nevada (Governor Lombardo vetoed a shield law in June 2025)
- Wisconsin (a ban bill passed the Wisconsin Assembly in 2025, but it failed to pass the Senate.)
- Michigan
- Pennsylvania
- Virginia
- American Samoa
- Commmonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
- Guam
- U.S. Virgin Islands
Want to know more? Getting Care At QueerDoc – Appointments is a great next read. Or check out What We Do, All About The Money, and the How It Works section in the drop-down menu in the top right of the page.