Tennessee’s ban on certain medical treatments for transgender youth is causing families of transgender children to face difficult decisions. The Supreme Court is currently reviewing a legal challenge to this ban.
Tennessee’s ban on certain medical treatments for transgender youth is causing families to make difficult decisions. The Supreme Court is currently reviewing a legal challenge to this ban.
The ban has had a significant impact on young people, as their typical experiences during adolescence are being influenced by their transgender identity.
Backed by
Authored by Emily Cochr
Writing from the city
After Tennessee prohibited gender-transition care for children, some families decided to leave immediately, leaving their homes and withdrawing their kids from school. Other families opted to stay, adjusting their budgets to afford out-of-state doctor appointments by reducing their expenses on vacations and holiday shopping.
Some residents of Tennessee are considering the idea of moving out of the state in the future, even if they have chosen to stay for now.
Families are feeling a lot of pressure as the Supreme Court considers a challenge to Tennessee’s law. They are worried that a decision in favor of the ban could make it harder for them to care for their children, especially with the new Trump administration planning to impose more restrictions on transgender individuals.
Kristen Chapman, who moved from Tennessee with her teenage daughter after the law was enacted, expressed the challenges of being in a situation where no good options are available and having to constantly explain that the circumstances were not chosen. She likened the experience to a natural disaster affecting her family and altering her sense of well-being and identity.
Parents from five different families, along with three of the children, were willing to participate in interviews on the condition of anonymity. They expressed worries about potential reprisals and ongoing harassment as their reasons for requesting anonymity.
In my opinion, when your child confides in you about their identity and needs, it is your responsibility as a parent to provide them with the necessary support and acceptance.
The name is Kristen
We are experiencing difficulties in accessing the content of the article.
Kindly activate JavaScript in your browser’s settings.
We appreciate your understanding as we confirm your access. If you are currently using Reader mode, please close it and sign in to your Times account, or consider subscribing to access all of The Times content.
We appreciate your understanding as we confirm your access.
Have you already signed up as a subscriber? Please log in
Interested in having access to all of The Times’ content? Consider
Prom
Index of the website
Navigation information for the website