American Psychologist, Vol 81(6), Sep 2026, 738-753; doi:10.1037/amp0001709
Decades of peer-reviewed research demonstrate the benefits of comprehensive and affirming health care for the well-being of transgender and gender-expansive (TGE) people of all ages. Every major U.S. professional medical and mental health association—including the American Psychological Association—supports individualized, age-appropriate care in accordance with expert clinical standards maintained by the American Psychological Association, the Endocrine Society, and the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, among others. Nevertheless, between 2021 and 2026, 28 U.S. states and territories banned affirming medical care for TGE youth. These laws impose harsh civil and sometimes criminal penalties, such as license revocation for clinicians who provide medical care for TGE adolescents and sanctions on providers, including mental health providers, even for discussing referral options. Given the impact of these laws on TGE people, their families, and the providers who care for them, there is an urgent need to describe and address challenges that may arise for psychologists who encounter TGE people in their work. This commentary provides an overview of the current U.S. transgender health policy landscape, including the role of disinformation about health care for TGE people and ongoing legal challenges to these bans. It then assesses the impacts of these laws on patients and providers before reviewing the challenges and opportunities facing the psychology workforce from the perspectives of clinical practice, research, and policy advocacy, with the goal of assisting the field of psychology in documenting and responding to the effects of these unprecedented dynamics in American social and political life. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)
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