Gov. Walz orders gender-affirming healthcare protections

ST. PAUL, Minn. (KEYC) - Governor Tim Walz worked alongside members of the newly formed legislative Queer Caucus to protect access to gender affirming care. While Minnesota isn’t the first state to declare such an order, it comes at a time where a growing number of states are passing laws to limit access to that care.

Neighboring states like Iowa and South Dakota have fast-tracked legislation to ban gender affirming care for trans youth in their states.

Walz’s order today comes during what he called a stressful and dangerous pattern.

The governor called on medical experts, transgender lawmakers and parents of transgender youth to highlight the urgency of his order.

While the order doesn’t create any new law, Walz described it as an affirmation of where Minnesota stands on the issue.

He believes protecting access to that care is a key issue and wants to ensure that right stays protected.

“Here in Minnesota, we’re going to be a place of refuge, to make sure that they feel safe and Welcome. I don’t know what a group of people in Pierre who decided to make life miserable and more dangerous for people are thinking, but it’s not going to happen in Minnesota,” said Gov. Tim Walz.

Walz says he believes the decision to provide gender-affirming care, especially for youth, should be between healthcare providers and families, not the government.

Just because this order doesn’t put anything into law doesn’t mean legislation isn’t around the corner as well. Representative Leigh Finke, the states first elected transgender legislator promised to continue working on her Trans Refuge bill which would put this all into law.