Executive Summary
In 2025, the American Civil Liberties Union documented that more than 600 anti-transgender bills were introduced at the state level in the United States. This continues a trend of escalation in state legislation targeting transgender youth in recent years; the organization found that over 500 anti-transgender bills were introduced in both 2023 and 2024.
Although state legislation affecting transgender youth has been wide-ranging, many of the enacted laws have fallen into one of four categories: limiting access to gender-affirming care, restricting participation in sports and school programs, restricting access to bathrooms and other facilities, and discouraging the use of gender-affirming pronouns in schools and other public facilities. By the end of December 2025, 29 states had adopted at least one of these four types of restrictive laws.
At the same time, many states have enacted “shield” laws, which protect gender-affirming care providers and families from the reach of civil, criminal, and professional consequences originating in states where such care has been restricted. In some cases, “shield” laws also protect from intrusion by the federal government.
There are approximately 724,000 transgender youth aged 13-17 living in the U.S. This report estimates the number of transgender youth aged 13-17 who are impacted by each of these five types of laws as of the end of the 2025 legislative session. For this report, we assess the impact of laws that were enacted in and prior to 2025.
Key Findings
Overall
- 382,800 transgender youth—more than half of all transgender youth aged 13-17 in the U.S. (53%)— live in one of 29 states that has enacted one or more laws banning access to gender-affirming care, participation in sports, use of bathrooms and other sex-separated facilities, or gender affirmation through pronoun use.
- 262,700 transgender youth—more than one-third of all transgender youth in the U.S. (36%)—live in one of 16 states that has enacted all four types of restrictions.
- Twenty-four states passed at least one type of restrictive legislation in 2025. An estimated 329,200 transgender youth (46%) live in one of these 24 states.
Bans on Gender-Affirming Care
- 362,900 transgender youth aged 13-17 live in one of 27 states that has enacted laws banning access to gender-affirming care. This is half (50%) of all transgender youth aged 13-17 in the U.S.
- Of these youth, 2,500 transgender youth live in Montana, where the state’s gender-affirming care ban cannot currently be enforced due to a court order.
- Four states—Arkansas, Kansas, New Hampshire, and West Virginia—enacted new restrictions on gender-affirming care in 2025. Three of these four states—Arkansas, New Hampshire, and West Virginia—expanded existing bans. One state, Kansas, enacted a new ban.
- Seventeen states prohibit the use of Medicaid funds to pay for gender-affirming care for minors. A total of 274,300 transgender youth live in one of these 17 states. This is about 38% of transgender youth aged 13-17 in the U.S.
Bans on Transgender Participation in Sports
- 382,800 transgender youth aged 13-17 live in one of the 29 states that has enacted laws restricting access to school sports for transgender students. This is about half (53%) of all transgender youth aged 13-17 in the U.S.
- Six states—Georgia, Kentucky, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, and Utah—enacted laws restricting access to school sports for transgender students in 2025.
- Three of these states, Kentucky, Montana, and Utah, strengthened or amended existing bans. Three other states—Georgia, Nebraska, and New Hampshire—enacted new mandatory bans.
- Six states—Georgia, Kentucky, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, and Utah—enacted laws restricting access to school sports for transgender students in 2025.
Bans on Access to Bathrooms and Other Facilities
- 348,400 transgender youth aged 13-17 live in one of 25 states that has banned transgender youth from using bathrooms and other facilities that align with their gender identity in public schools or government buildings, or has defined “sex” in a way that could result in transgender youth being denied access to bathrooms or other facilities. This is nearly half (48%) of all transgender youth in the country.
- 298,600 transgender youth live in one of 21 states with a law or policy expressly prohibiting transgender youth from using the bathroom that aligns with their gender identity within public schools or government buildings. This is 41% of all transgender youth aged 13-17 in the U.S.
- Twelve states—Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming—enacted new bathroom laws in 2025. Six of these 12 states—Arkansas, Idaho, Mississippi, North Dakota, South Carolina, and Utah—expanded or renewed existing bans. Georgia, Montana, South Dakota, Texas, West Virginia, and Wyoming enacted new bans.
- 221,700 transgender youth live in one of 17 states whose law defines “sex” in a way that could prohibit transgender youth from using the restroom that aligns with their gender identity. This is nearly one third (31%) of transgender youth aged 13-17 in the U.S.
- 49,800 transgender youth live in one of four states—Kansas, Indiana, Nebraska, and North Carolina—that lacks an express bathroom ban, but has a sex-definition law that could be interpreted to restrict bathroom access.
- Eight states adopted restrictive sex definition laws or policies in 2025: Alabama, Indiana, Iowa, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
- 2,500 of these transgender youth live in Montana, where both the state’s bathroom ban and its law defining “sex” have been blocked by court order.
Bans on Gender-Affirming Pronouns
- 170,000 transgender youth aged 13-17 live in one of 10 states that has enacted a law restricting or prohibiting the use of gender-affirming pronouns in schools or public facilities. This is nearly one quarter (24%) of transgender youth aged 13-17 in the U.S.
- Five states—Montana, North Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia—enacted a new pronoun law in 2025. Montana, North Dakota, and Tennessee expanded existing bans, and Texas and West Virginia enacted new ones.
- 112,100 transgender youth aged 13-17 live in one of eight states that has a law requiring parental notification when students request to be addressed with a different pronoun than the one that aligns with their sex at birth. This is about 16% of transgender youth aged 13-17 in the U.S.
- Two states—Ohio and West Virginia—enacted a new parental notification law in 2025.
- In total, 262,700 transgender youth live in one of 16 states that either restricts pronoun use or requires parental notification when a change to pronouns is requested, or both. This is over one-third (36%) of all transgender youth aged 13-17 in the U.S.
“Shield” Laws
- 285,300 transgender youth live in one of 17 states and D.C. that has a “shield” law seeking to protect providers and families from out-of-state interference with gender-affirming care. This is 39% of all transgender youth aged 13-17 in the U.S.
- Eight states expanded or enacted new “shield” laws or executive orders in 2025: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, New York, Vermont, and Washington. Six of these states—California, Colorado, Massachusetts, New York, Vermont, and Washington—expanded existing “shield” laws, while Connecticut and Delaware enacted new “shield” laws or executive orders.
- One state, Arizona, has both a “shield” executive order and restrictions on gender-affirming care.
Regional Analysis
Transgender youth living in certain regions of the U.S. are more likely to live in a state that has enacted a restrictive law or policy affecting transgender youth.
- The vast majority (95%) of transgender youth in the South and half (51%) of transgender youth in the Midwest reside in a state with at least one restrictive law or policy.
- The majority of transgender youth in the West (83%) and the Northeast (74%) reside in a state with a “shield” law.