Ray Walker had been receiving gender-affirming care in the state where he lives, and now can't. AP Photo/Rogelio V. SolisAt least 20 states have enacted laws restricting or banning gender-affirming care for trans minors, though several are embroiled in legal challenges. Opponents of gender-affirming care say there's no solid proof of purported benefits, cite widely discredited research and say children shouldn't make life-altering decisions they might regret. Then the broad effort in conservative states to restrict gender-affirming care set its sights on Mississippi. "Most people in Mississippi cannot afford to just move to another state or even go to another state for care."

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Persons: Ray Walker, Walker, Katie Rives, Tate Reeves, Reeves, Rogelio V, Solis, Walker's, Rives, It's, ___ Arleigh Rodgers, Michael Goldberg, Rodgers, Goldberg Organizations: Mississippi Republican, Service, Mississippi Republican Gov, AP, Associated Press, America Statehouse News Initiative, America Locations: Mississippi, Virginia, Wall, Silicon, Jackson, Madison County, Miss, Chicago, Indianapolis