Puerto Rico transgender resources

Below are resources in Puerto Rico for our community, part of this site’s American resources by state. See also major US-based trans websites and national advocacy groups.

Aquí hay recursos en Puerto Rico para nuestra comunidad, parte de los recursos estadounidenses de este sitio. Ver también los principales sitios web transgénero y grupos de defensa nacionales.

2025 law banning care for those under 22 years old

In July 2025, Puerto Rico enacted a law banning gender-affirming medical care, including hormone therapy and surgeries, for individuals under 21 years of age, threatening healthcare providers who violate the ban with severe penalties.

For adults under 22 who wish to transition, most options except hormones and surgery, like hair removal and storing reproductive material, are still available. You may need to travel outside Puerto Rico for surgery. I have information on how to order hormones online.

Healthcare coverage

Puerto Rico Medicaid services have covered transition-related care, including hormone replacement therapy and surgery, since 2020.

Birth certificates (certificados de nacimiento)

In 2018, a federal court struck down a law prohibiting transgender people from changing their gender on birth certificates.

In June 2025, the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico ruled that individuals can request their birth certificate gender marker be changed to “X”.

Policy: Puerto Rico Law 24 of 1931.

Leyes de Puerto Rico (LexisNexis)
Carta Circular Núm. 3-18 (RD) (PDF)
Solicitud Para el Cambio de Género en los Certificados de Eventos Vitales (PDF)
Instructions for those living outside of Puerto Rico (PDF)

References

Baum, S. (july 20, 2025). Puerto Rico Enacts Most Extreme Care Ban in America, Targeting Trans People Under 21. Erin in the Morning https://www.erininthemorning.com/p/puerto-rico-enacts-most-extreme-care

Torres‐Castro, T., & Morales‐Villena, A. (2025). Transgender Discrimination in Puerto Rico: An Analysis From a Queer Perspective of Labor Experiences. Gender, Work & Organization. https://doi.org/10.1111/gwao.13230

Rosa, Alejandra (June 29, 2021). ‘Here We Can Express Ourselves With Freedom.’ In Puerto Rico, A Trans Collective Is Reimagining Family Values. TIME https://time.com/6071474/house-of-grace-trans-rights-puerto-rico/

Madera, S. L. R., Díaz, N. V., Padilla, M., Pibernus, A. R., Neilands, T. B., Segarra, E. R., Velázquez, C. M. P., & Bockting, W. (2019). “Just Like Any Other Patient”: Transgender Stigma among Physicians in Puerto Rico. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 30(4), 1518–1542. https://doi.org/10.1353/hpu.2019.0089