St. Paul, Minnesota - Minnesota Governor Tim Walz on Wednesday signed an executive order making the Land of 10,000 Lakes a refuge for transgender youth seeking gender-affirming care.

"My message is clear: Here in Minnesota, our LGBTQ+ neighbors will not be denied or punished for seeking life-affirming and lifesaving medical care," Walz tweeted as he announced the measure.

The Democratic governor's Executive Order 23-03 directs state agencies to protect transgender people, their families, and medical professionals from any legal consequences of seeking or providing gender-affirming care.

It also bars state agencies from cooperating with other states where gender-affirming care for minors is outlawed and expresses the governor's refusal to comply with extradition requests from those states.

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The executive order is set to take effect 15 days after its signing.

Walz's move comes amid a rising wave of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation moving through Republican-controlled states around the country.

Bans on gender-affirming care for minors have already passed in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Utah. The Iowa state legislature on Wednesday advanced a similar measure, sending the bill to Governor Kim Reynolds' desk for signature.

Meanwhile, in Texas, Republican Governor Greg Abbott has ordered state agencies to investigate gender-affirming care as a form of child abuse.

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With his executive order, Walz is taking a powerful step in the opposite direction by signaling Minnesota's commitment to becoming one of the safest states for transgender youth.

Democratic state Representative Leigh Finke has introduced the bill HF 146 to cement Minnesota's status as a refuge for trans youth in state law.