Corrected 12:37 p.m. | Republicans hoping to elevate conservative messaging about health care and services for transgender individuals have followed the same playbook that they used to advance anti-abortion legislation: starting in the states, focusing initially on minors.
But now, that fight is blooming into one that conservatives see as a potent campaign issue in 2024.
In early February, former President Donald Trump, who is running for president again in 2024, identified a series of actions he would take to restrict gender-affirming care if elected. Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., hosted a Feb. 1 event condemning transgender girls participating in youth sports. And on Feb. 9, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., launched an investigation of the Washington University Transgender Center at St. Louis Children’s Hospital.