How trans children became 'a political football' for the Republican party

Dozens of bills would ban trans youth from certain sports teams. Experts say they're based on unfounded fears and could harm vulnerable kids

Republican lawmakers in more than 25 US states have advanced legislation banning transgender children from certain sports teams and limiting their access to gender-affirming healthcare.

Trans youth represent just a fraction of the US population - recent estimates suggest they make up 0.7% to 2% of youth. But conservative lawmakers have introduced more than 80 bills regulating their lives in the first three months of 2021, the highest-ever number of anti-trans legislative proposals filed in a single year.