Frankfort, Kentucky - Kentucky and West Virginia on Wednesday became the latest states to ban gender-affirming care for transgender youth.

The Republican-controlled state legislature overrode Democratic Governor Andy Beshear's veto of a bill that would block people under 18 from access to hormone therapies and surgeries.

The legislation, known as Senate Bill 150, also bars transgender people from using bathrooms that correspond to their gender identity, restricts teachers from talking about sexual orientation and gender identity in schools, and allows instructors to refuse to use students' preferred pronouns.

The Kentucky Senate decided 29-8 to override the governor's veto, followed by the House with a 76-23 vote.

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Demonstrators gathered at the state Capitol to protest the bill. Police forcibly removed them from the premises, as 19 people were arrested and charged with third-degree criminal trespassing, according to Kentucky.com.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky has already announced its intention to challenge the law in court.

West Virginia also passed its own ban on gender-affirming care for minors after Republican Governor Jim Justice failed to live up to his name and signed the hateful bill into law.

The legislation, known as House Bill 2007, prohibits health care providers from prescribing hormone therapies and puberty blockers to people under 18, as well as bans minors from receiving gender-affirming surgeries.

There are exceptions for hormone therapies in cases of severe gender dysphoria, with the sign-on of two health professionals and parental consent.

LGBTQ+ rights advocates have pointed out that access to gender-affirming care has been shown to significantly reduce suicide rates among transgender and nonbinary youth.