TW: This article mentions transgender youth considering suicide.

On Tuesday, February 22, Texas Governor Greg Abbott told state health agencies that medical treatments for transgender youth should be classified as “child abuse” under state law. This law means doctors, nurses, teachers, and any other “licensed professionals who have direct contact with children who may be subject to such abuse”, could face criminal penalties for their involvement in the gender-affirming health care of transgender youth, according to The New York Times. This law will prevent transgender youth in Texas from getting the health care they need, and possibly remove transgender youth from their supportive families, which will be detrimental to the health and overall wellbeing of transgender people. 

Gender affirming health care, such as hormone therapy and puberty blockers, saves lives. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, the American Academy of Pediatrics stated, “Proper gender-affirming care can mitigate a patient’s clinical distress and lead to significant improvements in the overall well-being of youth and adolescents who are at risk of or have been diagnosed with gender dysphoria.” 

Countless other credible medical professionals and organizations agree that gender-affirming care is lifesaving for transgender people. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, the American Medical Association stated it is “imperative that transgender minors be given the opportunity to explore their gender identity under the safe and supportive care of a physician.”

After Arkansas attempted to pass a ban on gender-affirming health care for transgender youth, numerous transgender people told a federal court how gender-affirming care has improved their lives. “[After starting hormone therapy,] I now feel a level of confidence I never knew was possible. I can easily and confidently interact with other people, whether I know them or not. My body is beginning to match who I am,” said Dylan Brandt, a transgender teenager who sued Arkansas over a ban on healthcare for transgender youth, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. 

Countless other transgender people have shared similar experiences of newfound confidence and happiness after starting hormone therapy and other types of gender-affirming medical care. “Since starting hormone therapy, I have become genuinely happy and confident for the first time since I can remember. I can finally see a future for myself,” said Sabrina Jennen, a transgender teenager who relies on gender-affirming health care, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. 

Attempts to ban and limit gender-affirming healthcare have had devastating effects on the mental health of transgender people. In September 2021, following widespread debate about anti-LGBTQ laws Texas, The Trevor Project reported that in 2021, they had received “nearly 4,000 crisis contacts from transgender and nonbinary youth in Texas… with many directly stating that they are feeling stressed and considering suicide due to anti-trans laws being debated in their state.”

Passing these bills will not stop transgender youth from being transgender, but they will devastatingly impact the mental health of transgender youth to the point that they may prevent some transgender youth from growing up at all. As said by Cash Ashley, a transgender man who testified against an Arkansas ban preventing transgender people from accessing health care, “Trans people have always been here. We will always be here, and you cannot erase us. Please stop trying.”