Texas has become the latest state to ban gender-affirming care for trans youth. On Friday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed SB14 into law, which says doctors cannot prescribe youth hormones or puberty blockers and cannot perform gender-affirming surgery on minors, something that is already extremely rare. It also says that any youth currently receiving such care must be weaned off their treatment – essentially forcing them to detransition. A report from the Williams Institute found that approximately 30,000 Texas youth ages 13 to 17 identify as trans. It has the third largest population of trans youth after California and New York. The ACLU of Texas has already voiced plans to challenge the bill tweeting, “Abbott can’t stop trans youth from thriving in Texas and we’ll take him to court to make sure of it. Important: Health care for trans youth is still legal in Texas until September 1, 2023. We are doing everything in our power to preserve access to this life-saving, evidence-based health care beyond that date.” The legislation is causing some parents to consider fleeing the state with their children. The American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics have all rejected claims that gender-affirming care is harmful to transgender children or adults. All of these organizations support best-practice medical care for trans youth.
