Gov. Mark Gordon signed a measure that will ban gender-affirming procedures for minors in Wyoming.
It was previously known as “Chloe’s Law,” named after a de-transitioner activist from California.
The ban outlaws gender-affirming surgeries and other forms of care for those under 18 in the state, like puberty blockers and hormone therapy.
The gender-affirming surgeries that the ban prohibits are not performed in Wyoming, and most major medical associations oppose them regardless.
But physicians broadly agree that other forms of gender-affirming care for minors that the bill outlaws can be helpful in reducing feelings of depression among transgender people.
Wellspring Health Access is a clinic in Casper that provides trans patients with different kinds of gender-affirming care.
Brittany Brown is the clinic administrator there.
“We have (trans) patients who travel from all over the state to come in and get the health care that they need, because they either struggle to find doctors who are willing to do it for them, or just struggle to find doctors who are supportive of them,” said Brown.
She added that it was ironic that in the same legislative session that passed a bill affirming parental rights, lawmakers seemed to step in and say, “but not that one.”
“All the rights except the one about your child's medical care,” Brown said.
In his reasoning for signing the bill, Gordon said he supports the protections that it includes for children, but that “it is my belief that the government is straying into the personal affairs of families.”
This reporting was made possible by a grant from the Corporation For Public Broadcasting, supporting state government coverage in the state. Wyoming Public Media and Jackson Hole Community Radio are partnering to cover state issues both on air and online.
