Youth

Health care literally saves lives. That’s the point. The care that trans people require should be available and accessible. We know that when trans youth receive care, their mental health is better well into adulthood. Health care should be available to all people in the state of Texas, and not restricted for any group.

In 2023, the Texas Legislature banned health care for trans youth driving doctors and families with trans kids out of the state. In 2024, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission excluded trans care from Medicaid coverage.

As Texas lawmakers continue to restrict access to vital services for trans people, we must continue to support each other. If you are struggling to access care in the State of Texas the Trans Youth Emergency Project may be able to help.

Trans people belong in sports. Trans women are significantly underrepresented in sports. We need to build inclusive policies and programs that encourage trans women to participate. Sports can be a fun, community-building way to encourage healthy lifestyle choices. Alienating trans women from that opportunity puts them at an unfair disadvantage.

A study from the Center for American Progress shows that women are more likely to participate in sports when trans-inclusive policies are in place. That means that if we want to encourage and protect women’s sports, we should focus on making sports more inclusive.

Everybody deserves to pee in peace. It’s not complicated. How people dress and look shouldn’t determine where they pee. Every person must be empowered to use the restroom where they feel most comfortable. Any attempt to regulate or micromanage these decisions necessarily leads to invasive “gender inspections” and other harmful activities that place everyone at risk of harm and exploitation.

While reporting to a parent about a child’s progress and mental health at school might seem perfectly normal and responsible, divulging certain information about a student could place them in harm’s way. Given the increasingly polarized and political perspectives that have infected the way many people think about trans issues, some young trans and queer people may not feel safe coming out to their parents. Some students who do feel safe at home may also prefer to spend some time using a new name or pronouns while at school before coming out to their parents.

Forcing young people to come out before they are ready may cause grave harm to their mental or physical well-being. Homelessness disproportionately impacts LGBTQ+ young people, largely because they were kicked out of the house after being outed to an unaccepting parent.

When students place their trust in teachers and school administration, the school has a duty to preserve that trust. That duty requires schools to ensure that no disclosure would place a student in harm’s way.

Twenty eight percent of LGBTQIA+ youth report experiencing homelessness or housing instability at some point during their lives. That rate climbs to 38% among trans and gender-expansive youth. Unfortunately, when unaccepting parents learn about their children’s sexual orientation or gender, far too many leave their kids in the street. We know that housing instability and homelessness are related to an increase in depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicidal ideation. Solutions for the housing and homelessness crisis are essential for the LGBTQIA+ community in Texas.