Families with transgender children in Tennessee are facing tough decisions due to the state’s ban on certain types of medical care for transgender youth. The Supreme Court is currently reviewing a legal challenge to this ban.
Tennessee’s ban on certain medical care 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.
The ban has had a significant impact on the lives of young people who are transgender, as it has disrupted their typical experiences during adolescence.
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Written by Emily Cochrane
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Some families left immediately when Tennessee prohibited gender-transition care for their children, while others decided to stay and made sacrifices such as skipping vacations and reducing Christmas expenses to travel out of state for doctor appointments.
Some residents who have chosen to remain in Tennessee are still considering the option of relocating to a different place in the future.
Families are feeling extremely anxious as the Supreme Court listens to arguments about a Tennessee law. They worry that a decision supporting the ban, which was approved last year, could put their children’s care at risk, especially with the Trump administration planning to enforce more restrictions on transgender individuals.
Kristen Chapman, who relocated from Tennessee with her teenage daughter shortly after the law was enacted, expressed the challenge of constantly having to explain that she did not choose the situation and that there are no good choices available. She likened the experience to a natural disaster affecting her family, altering their sense of well-being and identity.
Five other 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, when your child tells you who they are and what they need, it is your responsibility as a parent to help and encourage them in that.
The name Kristen Chapman
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