As the US continues to restrict access to transgender healthcare, many people fear for their safety and ability to obtain essential treatment. With the federal government continuing to crack down on trans individuals, many sanctuary states have taken it upon themselves to protect their communities.

According to a list provided by Advocates for Trans Equality, there are 14 different sanctuary states, those being New York, California, New Mexico, Massachusetts, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Minnesota, Illinois, Maryland, Connecticut, Vermont, Rhode Island, and Maine, as well as Washington, DC. These places continue to be a haven for transgender healthcare by having ‘shield’ laws set in place to protect their rights. States such as New Jersey and Arizona also have ‘shield’ executive orders, but they don’t hold the same power as laws do, and Arizona continues to have a ban on surgical care for transgender minors.

These shield laws work to protect trans individuals and their healthcare providers from criminal charges. If a person travels from a state where transgender care is banned to one where it is legal, they or their doctor won’t face charges from the state where they came from.

At the other end of the spectrum, states like Florida, Alabama, Oklahoma, Idaho, North Dakota, and South Carolina have made it a felony to provide certain forms of best practice medical care for transgender youth. Montana is also currently trying to pass a bill to do the same thing. Alongside this, a bill has been introduced in Texas that, if passed, could make it illegal to identify as transgender on official documents and could lead to jail time.

It has been a very scary time all across the country since Donald Trump signed an executive order restricting trans health care for people under 19 years old. While it is unclear how these shield laws may change in the next couple of months, there are people fighting to protect them.

In a joint statement, the Attorney Generals of Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Nevada, Rhode Island, and Vermont stated, “We stand firmly in support of health care policies that respect the dignity and rights of all people. Health care decisions should be made by patients, families, and doctors, not by a politician trying to use his power to restrict your freedoms. Gender-affirming care is essential, life-saving medical treatment that supports individuals in living as their authentic selves.”

People in many sanctuary states have also continued to protest for trans rights and access to healthcare across the country.

It is an unfortunate possibility that things are likely to get worse before they get better under the Trump administration. However, as it has been proven time and time again, that won’t stop other politicians and citizens from stepping up and fighting for their rights or the rights of others around them. These sanctuary states prove that even if it feels like the entire world is against you, there will still be hundreds of folks who will fight alongside you, no matter what it takes.