June is Pride Month and I want to take this time to talk to you about why we all should care about the attacks taking place against trans kids.
Practicing pediatric medicine, this issue is critical to me. I’ll never forget walking into a patient room a few years ago to meet a teenage boy who had been admitted for attempting to kill himself. He was transgender and his parents didn’t support his gender identity. While he waited for a bed to be available at an inpatient psychiatric hospital, he suffered more intrusive thoughts, believing everyone would be happier if he was gone.
This isn’t an uncommon story. This is why I’m asking you to join me in writing a letter to our state reps to demand they stop targeting trans kids with hateful legislation. Click here to start writing.
Here’s the truth: Teenagers are struggling. Transgender teenagers are struggling even more. They want love and acceptance just like every other teenager you know.
Some of them get it at home, some of them do not. Some of them get it at school, some of them do not. Some of them have a supportive adult in their lives, some of them do not.
Here’s what I know: The GOP does not care about transgender people, transgender kids, or gender-affirming care. They care about winning elections. They understand the political power of “othering” the most vulnerable in society, and, right now, that is trans kids.
State laws like South Carolina’s transgender sports ban contribute to the ongoing stigmatization of young people who are just trying to navigate their teenage years. These kids deserve love and acceptance, not bullying.
This isn’t about transgender kids. This is about science. This is about compassion. This is about the abuse of political power.
Will you stand up for trans kids this Pride Month by signing a letter demanding accountability from state reps who have supported anti-trans legislation?
On the day my patient was getting ready to transfer to the psychiatric hospital, as I was leaving his room, I noticed him looking at my ID badge hanging around my neck. He saw my small pink, blue, and white transgender flag button. He looked at me, smiled, and said “I like your button.” It’s a small thing, but it mattered to him.
All kids deserve to have people in their corner who support them, not have their existence be belittled.
Thank you,
Annie
|
