Transgender health bills often came from a handful of far-right interest groups, AP finds

Advocates for transgender youth rally outside the New Hampshire statehouse in Concord, N.H., in March. (Holly Ramer / AP)

At least 17 states have enacted laws restricting or banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors, and many of those bills sprang not from grassroots or constituent demand but from the pens of a handful of conservative interest groups.

Many of the proposals, as introduced or passed, are identical or very similar to model legislation those groups have suggested, an Associated Press analysis found.