Dear John –

This year we have seen an overwhelming tidal wave of bans on gender-affirming care for transgender youth – and right now, 80% of trans youth in the South live in a state that has passed a ban.

What is often missing in the discussion about these laws, however, is the very real chaos and burden that they impose on transgender youth and their families. Parents are being forced to make challenging decisions about their child’s healthcare, navigate a complicated and ever-changing landscape of access, assume a level of legal risk that can be chilling, and come up with the money to allow their child to continue the care that they need and deserve. 

A new article today in The Washington Post captures all of that nuance, and we wanted to be sure you saw it. The article, by journalist Casey Parks, chronicles the story of Ray, a trans 17-year-old in Mississippi, and his mom Katie, as they take an 8-hour journey from Mississippi to access gender-affirming care. It is an in-depth and heart-breaking look at the hurdles that families are grappling with right now, and the anxieties and pain they are holding. Click here to read the article in The Washington Post.

Our team at the Campaign for Southern Equality was honored to support Katie and Ray earlier this year through our Southern Trans Youth Emergency Project, helping them identify out-of-state care and providing a grant to help cover costs. Through this project we have provided logistical support and emergency funding to more than 400 families and individuals in the South. We are proud to lead this project alongside local partners in every state – including The Trans Program and Mississippi Rising Coalition in Mississippi, where Katie and Ray live. 

Let’s be clear: No one should be forced to travel to access life-saving, life-affirming care. But as long as these cruel bans are in effect, the Campaign for Southern Equality will be here to support families. We are honored to provide some measure of relief to families of trans youth by serving as a source of accurate, digestible information; a navigator to where care remains accessible; and a resource to help cover some of the costs that families have been forced to absorb because of anti-transgender laws. 

If you're the family member of a trans young person impacted by anti-trans healthcare bans in the South, please get in touch through our Southern Trans Youth Emergency Project here. And if you’d like to support this project, please click here to make a donation.

And don’t miss The Washington Post story about Katie and Ray.

Adam Polaski
He/Him
Communications & Political Director
Campaign for Southern Equality