Wisconsin Republicans seek to ban so-called ‘gender-affirming care’ for minors

Wisconsin Republicans are continuing their push to protect children against gender-altering medical treatments.

State Sen. Cory Tomczyk, R-Mosinee, and State Rep. Scott Allen, R-Waukesha, are reintroducing the Help Not Harm Act, which would ban so-called “gender-affirming care” for Wisconsin minors.

“Children who struggle with gender identity deserve help, not harm,” Allen told Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR). “There are too many studies that show the harm of these procedures, and there are too many stories of young people regretting their transition later. We need to help minors by giving them the inherent blessing of time.”

The proposal would prevent puberty blockers, hormone replacement therapy and top and bottom surgeries (mastectomies and genital operations) for minors with gender dysphoria or who identify as transgender.

“Our children are not experiments,” Tomczyk told WPR. “Parents should not be scared or pressured into having their children receive non-medically necessary drugs or irreversible procedures before their brains are fully developed.”

The bill is unlikely to become law. While Republicans control Wisconsin’s state Assembly and Senate, Gov. Tony Evers is a liberal Democrat who vetoed a similar measure in 2023.

Evers claimed the proposal emboldened hate in his veto message two years ago.

“This type of legislation, and the rhetoric beget by pursuing it, harms LGBTQ people and kids’ mental health, emboldens anti-LGBTQ hate and violence, and threatens the safety and dignity of LGBTQ Wisconsinites,” Evers wrote.

Republicans lack a veto-proof majority in either chamber, making it hard to override.

However, Allen said Evers is a data-driven governor, and the GOP will try to convince him to support the legislation. 

“He’s always been an advocate of using the science and evidence. I would hope he’s come around,” Allen said. “When you have countries like the UK and others outright banning the procedures as a whole, we’re not doing this in a vacuum. We’re looking at the science and saying, it’s just not good practice.” 

A January 2025 New York Times poll found that 71% of Americans oppose allowing gender-altering treatments for minors, while 26% support it for children 15 years old and older. Just 10% of Americans support it for children under 15. 

No action has been taken on the Wisconsin bill yet. 

Currently, 25 states ban gender-altering treatments for minors. Kansas became the latest state to do so after Republicans overrode a veto from Democrat Gov. Laura Kelly last week.  

Two other states, Arizona and New Hampshire, ban transgender surgeries for minors.