Hey y'all –

There’s no way to sugarcoat it: This week has been so incredibly challenging for transgender youth and their families in Southern states and across the country. 

The governors of Tennessee and Mississippi signed into law brutal legislation that prohibits access to basic healthcare for transgender people under the age of 18. Meanwhile, similar bans have advanced or are being considered in Kentucky, Georgia, and West Virginia. And an administrative attack in Florida is set to take effect March 16. 

It has been a relentless time. At the Campaign for Southern Equality, we’ve been honored to partner with groups in impacted states (including The TRANS Program and Mississippi Rising in MS and Inclusion TN and OUT Memphis in Tennessee) to support families directly, including with information, resources, and emergency grant funding. What we’re hearing again and again is that families of transgender youth are experiencing high levels of fear, confusion, and anger.

I know that the love and support for trans kids  is stronger than these dangerous laws. And now, to close out this week, I invite you to join me in sending a message of hope and support for transgender kids and their families across the South. Please click here to send a message, and we’ll include them in Care Packages for trans youth impacted by these cruel bans.

To the transgender youth who are reading the news this week and feeling excluded or fearful for the future, please know that not even the most craven political attack can stop the love and support that millions of people across the country feel for trans youth. We’ll always be there to fight alongside you, we’ll devise new strategies to get you to the care you need, and we’ll create spaces and community where you receive the support that helps you thrive. 

This is a really hard time – but please, don’t lose hope for what’s possible ahead. Let’s get that message out to young people who are being inundated by harmful noise right now. Click here and send a message of support to trans youth. We’ll print it out and include it in care packages for kids. 

Thank you,
Ivy Hill
They/Them
Director of Gender Justice, Southern Health Initiative
Campaign for Southern Equality

P.S. Want to fuel Campaign for Southern Equality’s work caring for families impacted by anti-transgender healthcare bans? Click here to make a donation. 

P.P.S. Is your family impacted by the passage of these bills? Click here for resources and support in Tennessee, and here for information on resources in Mississippi.