Child Abuse and Families with Trans Youth by Kiristen Hubbard
In February, Texas
Governor Greg Abbott called upon licensed professionals and people in the
community to report the parents of transgender youth who were assumed to be
receiving gender affirming care. The Texas governor made these statements soon
after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton stated his opinion on trans youth
receiving hormone therapy, puberty blockers, and gender affirmation surgeries. “Paxton
issued the opinion after the Legislature failed last year to pass a bill that
would have made it a felony alongside physical and sexual abuse to provide such
care to minors. An opinion is an interpretation of existing law; it does not
change the law itself but can affect how it is enforced” (NBC News, 2022). Many
articles are stating that Governor Abbott is declaring war on trans youth and
families by threatening to have Child Protective Services (CPS) get involved
for providing their children access to gender affirming care. In addition to
the families facing CPS calls and possible criminal charges, those who choose
not to report could potentially face criminal charges as well. Readers have
compared this to the Texas abortion ban law that punishes doctors for providing
safe abortions. Similar to the abortion ban laws, this law targets those who
have intersecting identities, creating more barriers. Essentially, trans youth
of color are going to be affected at a disproportionately higher rate.
Texas
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) attorney, Brian Klosterboer, stated that
parents who are assisting their children with receiving gender affirming care
are not breaking any laws. It is a violation of their constitutional rights,
especially because of this being an interpretation of the law, rather than the
meaning of the law. He also discussed how this could potentially lead to false
reporting, which will contribute to overwhelming the Texas Department of Family
and Protective Services (DFPS) (NBC News, 2022).
This interpretation of
the law is dehumanizing and dangerous for families of trans youth, not just
because of the potential family separation, but the trauma this could cause. It
sends a message that trans youth do not deserve to access necessary healthcare.
Separating families could lead to the youth being put in abusive situations
with their foster families who may be transphobic. This could include not
respecting pronouns, forcing them to dress according to their sex and not their
gender, using dead names, being exposed to conversion therapy, and bullying. There
are trans youth who only have a safe space at home and removing them from that
safety net can lead to increased rates of depression and suicidal ideation. Removing
the children from their homes could also mean them being removed from their
friends and educational settings. Imagine having to bear the burden of
educating everyone at your current school, finally being able to utilize the
correct bathroom, and having your identity being recognized, then everything
being ripped away from you. Imagine how damaging that is to a child. Thirteen-year-old
Adelyn Vigil now lives in fear of these very things and suffers from panic
attacks because she is afraid of being torn away from her mother (Texas
Tribune, 2022). Imagine how many other Adelyn’s there are. This is not just an
argument about this being necessary care, it is an argument about this being
lifesaving care.
“Research demonstrates
that gender-affirming care—a medical and psychosocial health
care designed to affirm individuals' gender identities—greatly
improves the mental health and overall well-being of gender diverse,
transgender, and nonbinary children and adolescents” (Matouk & Wald, 2022).
Ve’Ondre Mitchell (IG: @veondremitchell) is a 17-year-old transwoman of color
who resides in Seattle, Washington. Mitchell utilizes her social media
platforms to educate the public about issues that affect the trans community by
sharing her personal experiences as a “proud transwoman of color” while adding
a bit of humor. She has made local headlines due to breaking barriers for
things such as being the first Black couple to win homecoming court in a long
time and being the first openly trans homecoming queen. Commenters have
questioned whether her “breast are real” and she frequently addresses this
invasive and inappropriate question with humor, tact, intelligence, and grace.
She informs people on social media that this question should not be asked, but
she is comfortable answering for educational purposes. Ve’ has shared that she
has a “natural body” because her mother was supportive of her receiving gender
affirming care at a young age, which prevented her from going through puberty.
She avoided dealing with the pain of her voice getting deeper, forming
masculine features, growing facial hair, and other things that come along with
male puberty. She also acknowledges that although she has struggles as a trans
youth, there are certain burdens that she has not had to bear recognizing some
form of privilege of having a supportive mother. Mitchell is an example of why
having accessible gender affirming care as a youth is vital.
Ve’Ondre Mitchell has also
been transparent about her experience with being wrongly put within the system because
there was a CPS report made against her mother. Her and her mother were banished
from the church because her mother chose to support her daughter’s transition
when she was in elementary school. She made a Tiktok of her experience being
questioned by a member of the clergy as a child. She was asked a range of
questions, with some being about whether her mother was abusing her and if she
was being forced to “dress like a girl”. Ve’ and her mother were separated for
some time, and she makes another video joking about how she had to explain to
her younger brother where “his older brother went” once she returned home. Ve’Ondre
was able to return to her family, but she never should have had to experience
this as a child.
Texas is not the only
state that is attacking trans youth and their families. Parents all over the
country are scared for their children’s safety daily but adding on the element
of being put into the system for receiving necessary medical care is sad. ACLU
understands how these families are being affected and is currently suing and
fighting against this injustice. According to GLAAD, the American Psychiatric
Association, American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics and
more have spoken out against laws and regulations that are being proposed. Gender
affirming care is not a privilege or a form of abuse, it is a right and should
be treated as such. Trans youth should not have to suffer.
On Friday, Maria will be dropping resources for individuals in Colorado and more information!
https://www.columbiapsychiatry.org/news/gender-affirming-care-saves-lives
https://www.texastribune.org/2022/02/28/texas-transgender-child-abuse/
Comments
Post a Comment