1A Remaking America: Texas' ban on gender-affirming care, one year later

WAMU 88.5 | By Arfie Ghedi, Anna Casey

Published May 22, 2024 at 8:02 AM CDT

Jasper, 16, and their mother Mary sit for an interview in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Jasper's parents made the decision to move their family to Minnesota after searching for a state with greater protections for transgender people than their native Texas.

Nearly one year after Texas’ ban on gender-affirming care for minors was put in place, families are still figuring out how to cope with their new reality.

The law came as part of a record-breaking wave of anti-trans legislation passed by states across the country.Kansas, Montana, and Tennessee passed laws narrowly defining sex as being assigned at birth. Nebraska’s governor signed an executive order that did the same.

And they aren’t the only states moving to limit freedoms for transgender people. In at least 10 states, lawmakers are moving to change the definition of sex which would bar trans people from everything from updating their driver’s licenses to holding public office.

And in Texas, a slate of legislation impacting LGBTQ community was passed, including banning gender-affirming care like hormone therapies and puberty blockers for people under 18. This comes even as 72 percent of Texans support anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people, according to a 2021 survey from the Public Religion Research Institute.

So, how are families in Texas faring? And what do these laws look like in practice?

This show was part of 1A’s Remaking America collaboration with six partner stations around the country, including KUT in Austin. Remaking America is funded in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.