Conservative Political Tactics to Obstruct Gender-Affirming Healthcare for Transgender Youth in the USA

The LGBTQ+ community has long been a target of discrimination and misinformation from conservative groups in the United States. The most recent target of conservative ire are transgender minors, evidenced by the rapid uptick in legislation banning access to gender-affirming care (GAC). Despite evidence of the many benefits of GAC for transgender youth and a lack of public support for these bans, conservative groups continue to advocate for discriminatory legislation and create support for discriminatory legislation through their online presence. Through a social-media and online content analysis, thematic elements revealed conservative messaging to garner public support for anti-trans legislation. Themes include: a) spreading misinformation about GAC and transgender identity; b) co-opting of rights-based language; and c) vilification of leftist politics. The important of understanding this rhetoric is timely, as the direct results are playing out in state legislators around the country. Destructive GAC bans continue to place the right to health in peril for transgender youth in the US.