Medical care for Texas trans youth – valuable information and resources

I know that many Texas families with trans kids are concerned (massive understatement) about the fact that SB14, a bill banning gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth, is currently on Governor Abbott’s desk to be signed into law (as of Monday, May 22).

Our Texas community – trans youth, trans adults, and the people who love them – are bruised, battered, and exhausted from fighting this bill and others. The betrayal of a handful of Democrats who voted for this bill is just icing on this cake of sadness.

But we will not give up. Because we know that this best-practice medical care for trans youth is the STANDARD OF CARE. For trans kids who are eligible, this care is necessary and lifesaving. And trans kids deserve medical care that is appropriate for them and that has been endorsed by every major medical association in the United States. Trans kids are worthy of love, support, and the necessary health care not only to survive but to THRIVE.

Here’s what I know as of the time of posting:

Currently, SB14 ends the ability for medical providers and pharmacists to provide medicine and surgeries related to transgender health care for children under 18. The bill would strip doctors of their medical licenses for providing patients with this care and would also prohibit the use of public money or public assistance to provide these treatments.

The law would go into effect on September 1, 2023. Until then, obtaining healthcare for trans youth is still legal for Texas families and providing healthcare for trans youth is still legal in Texas. This bill limits medical providers and pharmacists, not parents. Taking your child outside of Texas for care would not be restricted.

There is a “weaning off” provision that is not super clear. Generally, to qualify for this provision, a child would have to have started medical treatment/medication by June 1, 2023, and have attended 12 or more mental health sessions at least six months before treatment began. But the weaning off process is not even defined in the bill.

Lambda Legal, the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Texas, and Transgender Law Center announced last week that they’re planning to file a lawsuit over this bill if it becomes law.

Action Item: Email the Governor or call his office at (512) 463-1782 and tell him to kill this bill because it harmsTexas children. You don’t even have to be a Texas resident!

Meanwhile, Attorney General Ken Paxton has recently called for investigations into Dell Children’s Medical Center in Austin and Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, pushing phony claims by right wing activists who say gender affirming care is child abuse. While that’s disturbing in and of itself, there’s also the concern about the safety and security of patient medical records.

You can take at least one step to remind any of your children’s clinic/healthcare providers that your child's records should not be shared without your permission. Transgender Education Network of Texas has provided a form letter to send (TX Notice Prohibiting Release of Medical Information) and guidance on keeping medical information private (Self-Advocacy Template Letter to Prohibit Disclosure of Texas Medical Records Including Protected Health Information of Transgender Minor Patients). These documents can be found at https://linktr.ee/Transtexas in the link labeled “DFPS Family Resource Folder.”

If you feel that your child is being denied access to health care because they are transgender, I encourage you to file a complaint with the Department of Health and Human Services. Select “file a civil rights complaint,” and fill in with your information. For the question that asks, “I believe that I have been (or someone else has been) discriminated against on the basis of,” you can select sex and disability as well as other and enter “transgender.” Please send a copy of your complaint to Dylan DeKervor, who is collecting data on transgender discrimination and is familiar with its history in Texas. The email subject can be “Texas Trans Healthcare Complaint.”

And if you are affected by the illegal records leak at Dell or Texas Children’s, please contact the Lambda Legal help desk for legal support.

Re: child abuse investigations — right now the injunction against investigations is still in place due to the PFLAG v. Abbott lawsuit. Please join PFLAG if you have not already for protection under this lawsuit. You can join PFLAG National or support a local chapter by joining through them.

If you’re affected by these situations, you’re not alone. Many other Texas families are experiencing this, too. I encourage you to find a peer support group like PFLAG or a local group in your community to network and learn what your fellow parents know.

As always, I encourage you to follow TENT, Equality Texas, Texas Freedom Network, ACLU of Texas, and Lambda Legal for this and other issues affecting the trans community.

Would you be interested in attending an online space hosted by Parents of Trans Youth for support and information sharing about this topic? Send me an email with your thoughts. In the meantime, please reach out if you need to talk or process feelings.

I love you all and will never stop fighting for trans kids, in Texas and elsewhere. They are our miraculous and dazzling future.