IL attracts people fleeing states with anti-trans laws

A Patchwork of Transgender Healthcare Laws Push Families Across State Lines — LGBTQ+ activists rally before the Minnesota Senate introduces the Trans Refuge Bill at the State Capitol Building in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on April 21, 2023. - The Minnesota legislature passed a “trans refuge” bill that would guarantee legal protection for trans people coming to Minnesota from elsewhere to access medical care. (Photo by STEPHEN MATUREN / AFP) (Photo by STEPHEN MATUREN/AFP via Getty Images)

Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons

Illinois becoming new home for out-of-state trans youth and families

Illinois state law protects health care providers and patients from legal attacks by states that have gender-affirming medical care bans.

LGBTQ+ activists rally before the Minnesota Senate introduces the Trans Refuge Bill at the State Capitol Building in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on April 21, 2023. - The Minnesota legislature passed a “trans refuge” bill that would guarantee legal protection for trans people coming to Minnesota from elsewhere to access medical care. (Photo by STEPHEN MATUREN / AFP) (Photo by STEPHEN MATUREN/AFP via Getty Images)

STEPHEN MATUREN/AFP via Getty Images

By Landon Jones

More than a dozen states have passed laws that restrict the full participation of transgender students in K-12 schools, according to a Chalkbeat analysis. And at least 18 states have passed laws restricting gender-affirming health care for minors.

Reset speaks with an organizer and a parent about how Illinois has become a new home for people fleeing states that have passed laws targeting trans youth and adults.

GUESTS: Carrie Vine, executive director, Rainbow Cafe

Liz Wooten, parent