Families with transgender children in Tennessee are facing difficult 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 set to hear a legal challenge to the ban on Wednesday.
The ban has had a significant impact on the everyday lives of young people who are both transgender and adolescents, overshadowing their usual experiences.
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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, leaving their homes and withdrawing their children from school. Other families stayed behind, adjusting their budgets by cutting back on holidays and gift spending to afford out-of-state doctor appointments.
Some people who have chosen to remain in Tennessee are still considering the option of moving away in the future.
Families are feeling extremely anxious as the Supreme Court considers a challenge to a Tennessee law. They are worried that if the ban is upheld, it could make it even harder to access care for their transgender children, especially with the new administration promising to impose more restrictions on transgender individuals.
Kristen Chapman explained that dealing with the impact of the law in Tennessee made her feel like she had to adapt to a new way of living. She expressed that constantly having to explain that she didn’t choose the situation and that there were no good options felt like a natural disaster had struck her family. This experience altered her sense of self and comfort in her surroundings, leading her to leave the state with her teenage daughter.
Five families and three children agreed to be interviewed on the condition of anonymity due to fears of backlash and ongoing harassment.
In my opinion, when your child tells you who they are and what they need, as a parent, your role is to provide them with support.
The name Kristen Chapman
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