Adedokun Waliyu 
Two Republican governors from Indiana and Idaho have signed into law bills banning gender-affirming care for minors, making those states the latest to check transgender health care as Republican-led legislatures continue to curb LGBTQ+ rights this year.
Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb, on Wednesday, signed legislation that will restrict transgender youth from getting medication or surgeries that help in transition, and authorising those currently taking medication to stop by the end of the year.
Idaho Governor Brad Little signed legislation that criminalises gender-affirming care for youth on Tuesday evening, according to US Today.
More than 12 states are considering bills that would prohibit transgender youth from accessing hormone therapies, puberty blockers and transition surgeries, even after the approval of parents and the advice of doctors.
There are other proposals that target transgender individuals’ everyday life — including sports, workplaces and schools.
“Permanent gender-changing surgeries with lifelong impacts and medically prescribed preparation for such a transition should occur as an adult, not as a minor,” Holcomb said in a statement about the Indiana bill.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana filed a lawsuit rapidly after Holcomb signed the Indiana legislation, something the group had promised to do after Republican super majorities advanced the ban this session.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Idaho announced Wednesday it also planned to sue over that state’s new law, US Today said.
The Indiana ACLU filed the lawsuit on behalf of four transgender youth and an Indiana doctor who provides transgender medical treatment. It argues the ban violates the US Constitution’s equal protection guarantees as well as federal laws regarding essential medical services.
“The legislature did not ban the various treatments that are outlined,” said Ken Falk, the ACLU of Indiana legal director. “It only banned it for transgender persons.”
