On Friday, Delaware Democratic Gov. Matt Meyer signed an executive order increasing protection for receivers and providers of gender-affirming care.
“In Delaware, we cherish privacy, dignity and the right to make personal medical decisions. Everyone deserves the freedom to access healthcare rooted in science and compassion,” said Meyer.
The executive order prohibits any state agency from providing “medical records, data or billing information, or utilize state resources” that could help any criminal or civil investigation against someone receiving or providing gender-affirming care.
It also dictated that the state professional regulations board cannot disbar healthcare professionals only due to providing gender-affirming care.
California, New York, Illinois and 11 other states, and Washington, D.C., have enacted similar legislation to shield patients and doctors from aggressive legislation in states where gender-affirming care is highly restricted.
Patients can now travel to shield states to receive their care without fear of retribution in their home states.
This comes after a Supreme Court decision on June 18 that upheld Tennessee’s decision to ban puberty blockers and hormone treatments for transgender minors.
“This ruling undermines doctors in delivering care to some of the most vulnerable patients in our country,” Rep. Sarah McBride (D-Del.), the nation’s first openly transgender member of Congress, said Wednesday on the social platform X.
Since President Trump took office transgender rights have increasingly been limited.
Trump signed an executive order recognizing only two genders, has tried to ban transgender troops from the military, has refused requests to change the gender of passports and has tried to defund gender-affirming medical care.
Delaware has a long history of tolerance for LGBTQ populations. According to the order, the state hosts 40,000 LGBTQ individuals and 6,300 transgender adults.
In 2013, it legalized same-sex marriage and implemented anti-discrimination laws in housing, employment and public accommodation.
“We will do everything in our power to protect transgender families in the state of Delaware and throughout the country,” the Executive Committee of the Delaware Democratic Party PRIDE Caucus said in a press statement earlier this week.
“We call on every legislator, from the state and county level to the federal level, to speak out and step up. This is the moment to act – not with caution, but with courage.”
