Alaska medical board asks Legislature to limit gender-affirming care for minors

Iris Samuels, Anchorage Daily News on Mar 25, 2025

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ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The Alaska State Medical Board is asking the Legislature to ban hormonal and surgical treatments for minors seeking to transition from one gender to another.

The board — whose members were chosen by Gov. Mike Dunleavy — on Thursday agreed to state that it “opposes hormonal and surgical treatments for gender dysphoria in minors due to insufficient evidence of long-term benefits and risks of irreversible harm.”

“We view these interventions as lacking legitimacy as standard medical practice for those under the age of 18 years old. We support legislative limits on such treatments and promote psychological support and counseling as safer alternatives. This reflects our duty to protect patients and uphold evidence-based care,” the board said in a letter that was sent to members of the Legislature on Friday.

The statement has no binding authority. The medical board is charged with overseeing the licensure of medical practitioners in Alaska, including by revoking licenses from practitioners if they are deemed by the board to have violated state statutes.

There is no statute currently banning gender-affirming care in Alaska. No such bill has been proposed by lawmakers this year.

Alaska’s Medicaid program in 2021 began covering gender transition treatments following a class action lawsuit filed by transgender Alaskans. However, Alaska law does not currently require private insurers to cover the cost of gender-affirming services.

A bill to ban certain forms of gender-affirming care for minors was introduced last year by Eagle River Republican Rep. Jamie Allard. The bill did not advance.

More than half of states in the U.S. ban some forms of gender-affirming care for minors, according to the Movement Advancement Project, which advocates for LGBTQ+ rights.

By law, the Alaska medical board consists of five physicians licensed in the state, one physician assistant and two public members. The board is currently one member short, and two of its members are up for confirmation hearings by the Legislature, including its chair, Dr. Brent Taylor.

Taylor is a retired surgeon from Palmer. In a confirmation hearing earlier this month in the House Health and Social Services Committee, Taylor did not mention any interest in addressing care for transgender people in Alaska.

“I believe the main focus is set out in what we’re allowed to do in terms of credentialing and ensuring health care providers are following established guidelines,” Taylor said when a lawmaker asked him about the scope of the board’s work. “We’re asked to comment on some issues or to provide an opinion at some times.”

It is not immediately clear what compelled the board to send the letter to the Legislature. President Donald Trump has taken steps to limit gender-affirming care on the national level since taking office earlier this year.

A judge earlier this month blocked Trump’s plan to pull federal funding from institutions that provide gender-affirming care for transgender youths.

Republicans representing the Mat-Su region in the Alaska House and Senate celebrated the state board’s position.

“True care means providing compassionate psychological support — not irreversible interventions that compromise their future,” Wasilla Rep. Jubilee Underwood said in a written statement.

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