transgender policy

It’s been eight months since Gov. Greg Abbott directed the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services to investigate the families of trans youth for providing gender-affirming care. Since then, some families have left the state. Those that stayed have weathered anxiety and the dizzying back-and-forth of legal battles to determine whether investigations will stop.

The state is appealing the decision by a Texas judge to stop investigations into families of trans youth.

The ruling follows an opinion issued by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton that deemed some “sex-change” procedures and puberty blockers child abuse under state law.

Texas leaders have targeted trans youth, their families and gender-affirming care practices for months. It’s exacerbated feelings of anxiety and fear in trans youth, who already experience higher rates of depression, anxiety and suicide than their cis peers. Mental health practitioners can help navigate these feelings, but finding and accessing an affirming therapist in Texas can be a challenge.

Military families can move to new bases if they're stationed in states with laws hostile to LGBTQ people. But families who try to take advantage of the program may face barriers.

A county judge granted a temporary injunction so doctors at Children’s Medical Center Dallas may be able to treat trans youth through next spring.

The clinic had stopped accepting new patients after increased political pressure.

The state’s high court allowed the investigations of families who provide gender-affirming care for transgender children to continue but said the Texas Department of Family Protective Services is not bound by Gov. Abbott and Attorney General Paxton’s orders.

Admiral Rachel Levine, a top federal health official, said Saturday she decided to visit Texas in person to speak out on anti-LGBTQI+ laws and policies that have brought the country to a “tipping point.” Texas is at the forefront of anti-trans policies.

The U.S. assistant secretary for health, who will speak at Texas Christian University, says physicians need to be more vocal in fighting politically motivated attacks on vulnerable trans youth.

Some families no longer see a future for their transgender kids in Texas. They’re moving to states with strong civil rights protections for trans people.

It’s been two months since Texas leaders spoke out targeting health care access for trans youth. Investigations into families and lawsuits circling the courts have made people like Michael and Tristan, who are part of a trans youth support group in North Texas, feel overwhelmed. Because they both feel unsafe given the current climate in Texas, we're only using their first names in this story.