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Let's Talk New Mexico

Let's talk about the state of transgender rights in New Mexico

By Ty Bannerman
Published February 3, 2026 at 10:07 AM MST
Demonstrators at the 2017 Women's March in Washington D.C. hold a sign that reads "trans rights are human rights." The New Mexico House passed a bill Friday that would further protect trans people under the state's Human Rights Act. The bill now heads to the Senate for consideration.
Ted Eytan
/
Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0
Demonstrators at the 2017 Women's March in Washington D.C. hold a sign that reads "trans rights are human rights." The New Mexico House passed a bill Friday that would further protect trans people under the state's Human Rights Act. The bill now heads to the Senate for consideration.

The Trump administration has made its opposition to gender affirming care a key part of its health policy, with insurers like United HealthCare and Blue Cross Blue Shield subsequently dropping support for certain medication and procedures. But New Mexico laws offer protections based on gender identity, including transgender and non-binary. How will those laws and federal policy interact? And what about the mental health and well-being of those New Mexicans who find themselves in the crosshairs of a hostile federal government?

This week on Let’s Talk New Mexico, we’ll be taking a look at threats to transgender rights in New Mexico, and we’ll be talking to the folks who are doing their best to make sure New Mexicans get the care they need.

And we want to hear from you! Are you or someone you care about transgender or gender nonconforming? How are you coping with the current administration’s actions? Who do you turn to support? And what advice do you have for folks who may feel especially vulnerable at this time? Leave a voicemail at the link above, email your questions letstalk@kunm.org, or call in live during the show, Thursday morning at 8.

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Ty Bannerman
Ty Bannerman has been writing about New Mexico for over a decade. He is the author of the history book Forgotten Albuquerque and his work has appeared in New Mexico Magazine, Atlas Obscura, Eater, and the American Literary Review. While at the Weekly Alibi, Albuquerque’s alternative newspaper, he served as food editor, features editor and managing editor. He co-hosts two podcasts: City on the Edge, which tells Albuquerque stories, and Anytown, USA, which virtually explores a different US county each week. He has two children and way too many dogs and chickens.
See stories by Ty Bannerman