Puerto Rico has taken a stunning step backward in LGBTQ rights by enacting a law that bans hormone therapy and gender-affirming surgeries for transgender individuals under 21. Yes, 21. The new legislation, signed by the island’s governor on Wednesday night, makes it a felony offense for medical professionals to provide such care, punishable by up to 15 years in prison, a $50,000 fine, and complete loss of their medical license.
In what critics are calling a “brutal and dehumanizing” move, the government defended the law by citing the supposed “emotional, cognitive, and physical immaturity” of people under 21—ignoring decades of scientific research and lived experience from trans people, their families, and affirming medical professionals.
The law also prohibits any use of public funds to support gender-affirming care, effectively gutting any remaining access for lower-income individuals and families. The Puerto Rico LGBTQ+ Federation came out swinging, with director Justin Jesús Santiago vowing legal action. “Let there be no doubt: We will go to court to challenge the constitutionality of the governor’s cruel and inhumane signing of a law that criminalizes health professionals for caring for trans minors,” Santiago said.
This isn’t an isolated event. It’s part of a broader wave of anti-trans legislation sweeping through conservative strongholds in the United States. About two dozen states have enacted similar bans, often using nearly identical language and fear-mongering tactics. What makes Puerto Rico’s law particularly severe is its expansion to those up to 21 years old—an age well into adulthood by most legal standards.
LGBTQ Impact: A Dangerous Precedent
This law doesn’t just criminalize doctors—it effectively criminalizes trans existence. It sends a chilling message to LGBTQ youth: “You’re not old enough to decide who you are, and we will punish anyone who helps you.” This has catastrophic mental health implications for a community already facing high levels of depression and suicide.
The impact on LGBTQ Puerto Ricans is particularly severe. As a U.S. territory with limited political representation, Puerto Rico’s residents often face unique challenges when advocating for civil rights. And now, with this law in place, vulnerable trans youth are being further isolated—cut off from care, stigmatized by their own government, and told their identities are too dangerous to be treated with dignity.
Puerto Rican health and legal organizations had pleaded with the governor to veto the bill. Their concerns were dismissed. But the fight isn’t over. The LGBTQ community on the island and across the diaspora is mobilizing for a legal showdown. And they’re not alone—civil rights groups, medical associations, and advocates are rallying to challenge this regressive legislation.
The message from the LGBTQ community is clear: they will not be erased, they will not be silenced, and they will not allow the state to legislate their identities into nonexistence.