In Mississippi, Republican Governor Tate Reeves has signed into law a bill that bans gender-affirming healthcare for transgender youth. The legislation criminalizes providing transition-related care to minors, frees health insurance companies from having to cover gender-affirming care for youth and blocks public funding for clinics and institutions that offer this type of care.

Mississippi is at least the fifth state in the U.S. to ban healthcare for trans youth. In just the past month, Utah and South Dakota enacted trans healthcare bans, and the Oklahoma House just passed a similar measure. Two other bans in Alabama and Arkansas are currently being challenged in federal court. In Arkansas, the Legislature has also voted to advance a bill that criminalizes trans adults for using public restrooms when children are present.