Tennessee’s ban on certain medical care for transgender youth is causing difficulties for families with transgender children. The Supreme Court is currently reviewing a legal challenge to this ban.
Families with transgender children in Tennessee are facing difficult decisions due to the state’s ban on certain medical treatments for transgender youth. The Supreme Court is currently reviewing a legal challenge to this ban.
The ban has impacted children and teenagers who are transgender, causing their typical adolescent experiences to be clouded by their gender identity.
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Written by Emily Cochrane
Writing from the city
After Tennessee prohibited gender-transition care for children, some families decided to leave immediately, abandoning their homes and withdrawing their children from school. Other families opted to stay, reducing their expenses on holidays and gifts in order to afford traveling out of state for medical appointments.
Some people who currently reside in Tennessee have mentioned that they are considering the option of moving out of the state at some point in the future.
Families are feeling extremely anxious as the Supreme Court reviews a challenge to a Tennessee law. They are worried that if the ban is upheld, it could put their children’s care at risk, especially with the incoming Trump administration planning to impose more restrictions on transgender individuals’ lives.
Kristen Chapman, who relocated from Tennessee with her teenage daughter after the law was enacted, expressed the challenges of navigating a situation where no good options exist and having to constantly explain that the circumstances were not chosen. She likened the experience to a natural disaster that alters one’s emotional state and sense of comfort.
Five families and three children agreed to participate in interviews on the condition of anonymity due to fears of retaliation and ongoing harassment.
In my opinion, as a parent, it is important to support your child if they come to you and express their identity and needs.
The name Kristen Chapman
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