Republican States See Highest Surges in Gender Dysphoria

Gender dysphoria cases are surging nationwide, a new report shows, and Republican states are among the places with the highest diagnosis rates.

Debate about gender and the LGBTQ+ community has taken the U.S. by storm in recent years, and hundreds of bills targeting LGBTQ+ topics were introduced during the 2023 legislative session. Politicians have consistently clashed about LGBTQ+ rights, arguing about everything from medical care to which books should be allowed in public schools.

The term “gender dysphoria” refers to a strong feeling of rejection and distress when a person believes their biological sex doesn’t match their identity. Diagnoses of the condition skyrocketed in nearly every state from 2018 to 2022, the Definitive Healthcare report revealed, with several red states leading the surge. Newsweek reached out to the Gender Dysphoria Alliance by email for comment.

The report, which was published on January 4, found that Virginia, Indiana, Utah, South Carolina, Alaska and experienced the highest surges in gender dysphoria diagnoses at 274 percent, 247 percent, 193 percent, 171 percent and 183 percent respectively.

Indiana, Utah, South Carolina and Alaska are considered Republican states. Virginia is a swing state. President Joe Biden won Virginia during the 2020 election, and Democrats dominated the election outcome for the U.S. House that same year. Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin took office in 2022.

Only one state, South Dakota, saw a drop of 23 percent in its gender dysphoria diagnoses. South Dakota banned gender-affirming care in 2023, but the Definitive Healthcare report revealed that lawmakers proposed a similar law in 2020, leading to a drop in gender dysphoria diagnoses from 2020 to 2021. Hawaii experienced the smallest increase in gender dysphoria diagnoses at 6 percent, followed by Connecticut at 10 percent.

Twenty states experienced an increase in gender dysphoria diagnoses of 100 percent or higher.

Gender Dysphoria & Gender-Affirming Care

A gender dysphoria diagnosis is typically the first step when seeking gender-affirming care.

“Gender-affirming care can range from counseling to speech therapy to medications like hormone therapy,” the Definitive Healthcare report said. “Some people choose to undergo surgical interventions that bring their physical form in line with their gender identity…When trans people receive gender-affirming care from a medical provider, they are typically diagnosed with gender dysphoria or gender incongruence, terms used in the DSM-5 to refer to the discomfort experienced when one’s gender identity does not align with their assigned sex.”

Gender-affirming care also has been a combative topic among politicians, with some lawmakers proposing legislation that would ban the care for certain populations, such as teenagers under the age of 18.

As the demand for gender-affirming care grows, as research continues to
underscore the benefits of treatment for transgender people, and as more states try to restrict or ban treatment, the question of trans patients’ access to care is more pressing than ever,” the Definitive Healthcare report said. “Ensuring access to gender-affirming care will ultimately need to occur on a legislative level, with the federal and state governments aligning to enshrine Medicare and Medicaid coverage for medically necessary treatments like counseling, hormones, surgery, voice and communication therapy, and fertility assistance.”