Hey John –

We've shared a lot about how important the Southern Trans Youth Emergency Project (STYEP) is to the families of trans youth all across the South, and you’ve been an essential part of making this program possible. So I thought you’d like to see two excellent, in-depth articles telling the story of how families are navigating the healthcare bans and how the Campaign for Southern Equality is with them every step of the way.

Featured in The 19th News

The 19th wrote a heart-wrenching piece about how many families of trans youth are struggling to navigate the current care and legal landscape in states where a ban on medically necessary healthcare is pending or has gone into effect. 

The article features three families who we have worked with through the Southern Trans Youth Emergency Project. It highlights two of the central components of the project – the emergency grants of $500 that families can receive, and also the way that we help families identify healthcare options in an increasingly tumultuous landscape. “If you don’t have a connection to an organization like this or to an attorney, it’s almost impossible to understand what’s going on,” our STYEP manager said.  Read the article. 

Featured in Slate Magazine

And in Slate Magazine, this article takes an in-depth investigation of the challenging legal landscape around gender-affirming care right now, and discusses how this is all the first step in the extremist plan to ban transition care nationally for children and adults alike. 

The story follows a family in Texas that had multiple appointments for gender-affirming care canceled, and relied on navigation support from our team at the Southern Trans Youth Emergency Project to get the medical care they need. It shows exactly what’s at stake in terms of the distances and logistical hurdles families have had to overcome for gender-affirming care – and sets the scene for the work ahead to make sure everyone has access to the care they need and deserve. Read the article.

As you’re taking some time to rest and recharge at the end of the year, please take a few minutes to read these pieces, and share them with anyone you know who’s been wanting to learn more about what these bans actually mean in the lives of folks across the South. 

This work is also so important because it’s about meeting families where they are and supporting them in figuring out care plans that work for them. To be frank, there’s a reductive national narrative that the only solution for families is to uproot their lives and move out of state. But the reality we are hearing from hundreds of families is that they are staying put because the South is their home.

LGBTQ+ people deserve to live where they feel most comfortable without interference from the government that prevents them from living as their most authentic selves. We won’t stop fighting until every trans kid can grow up with the love, support and care that they need – without leaving their hometown. 

Thank you for making STYEP possible. Please consider supporting these grants in 2024 with a donation today.

With gratitude, 
Adam Polaski
He/Him
Communications Director
Campaign for Southern Equality