Nebraska’s New Law Restricting Gender-Affirming Care For Anyone Under 19 Goes Into Effect October 1

(Associated Press Lincoln NE September 30) Nebraska’s new law restricting gender-affirming care for minors goes into effect Sunday, and bans gender-affirming surgery for anyone under 19 and restricts who in that age group can receive nonsurgical treatment. Minors who already receive puberty blockers or hormones are allowed to continue the treatment, but new patients who are minors are largely banned from starting.  Only those minors who have shown “a long-lasting and intense pattern of gender nonconformity or gender dysphoria” would be allowed to start puberty blocking or hormone treatment, and only under a set of guidelines to be drafted by the state’s newly appointed chief medical officer, Dr. Timothy Tesmer.

Last month, Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen issued an executive order strictly defining a person’s sex and ordering state agencies to define “female” and “male” as a person’s sex assigned at birth.

At least 22 states have enacted laws restricting or banning gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors, and most of those states face lawsuits. An Arkansas ban mirroring Nebraska’s was struck down by a federal judge in June as unconstitutional and will be appealed to the 8th U.S. Circuit Court, which also oversees Nebraska cases.