Tennessee’s ban on certain medical treatments for transgender youth is causing difficult decisions for families with transgender children. The Supreme Court is reviewing a legal challenge to this ban on Wednesday.
Families with transgender children in Tennessee are faced with difficult decisions due to the state’s ban on certain medical treatments for transgender youth. The Supreme Court is reviewing a legal challenge to this ban on Wednesday.
The ban has impacted the young people who are transgender by overshadowing their typical experiences of adolescence.
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Written by Emily Cochrane
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After Tennessee prohibited gender-transition care for children, the first families quickly left the state, leaving their homes and withdrawing their children from school. Some families decided to stay, but had to make sacrifices like reducing vacations and holiday spending to travel out of state for doctor appointments.
Even individuals who have chosen to remain in Tennessee have not completely dismissed the idea of relocating in the future.
Families are feeling immense pressure as the Supreme Court reviews a challenge to a Tennessee law. They are worried that a decision supporting the ban, which was enacted last year, could worsen the situation for their children at a time when the new Trump administration plans to enforce restrictions on transgender individuals.
Kristen Chapman, who moved out of Tennessee with her teenage daughter after the law was enforced, explained that it feels like a whole new way of living when you have to constantly remind yourself that you didn’t choose this situation and there are no favorable choices. She compared it to experiencing a natural disaster within your family, as it alters your sense of self and 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, if your child tells you who they are and what they need, your role as a parent is to provide support for them.
The name is Kristen
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