Anti-Trans Laws and Child Welfare
Recently, the governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, issued a directive encouraging the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services to investigate families and medical professionals allowing transgender minors to medically transition for child abuse. Though this directive has not become law, it goes only a step further than a bill that was passed into law in Arkansas last year banning gender-affirming healthcare for those under 18 years old (including puberty blockers, which is a completely reversible form of treatment). Additionally, in the last year, there have been tons of bills introduced with the aim to limit trans students’ participation on sports teams that align with their gender identities, some of which have been passed into law. 2021 broke the record for the number of anti-trans laws introduced in one year, but it was not the first wave of anti-trans laws we have lived through. Several years ago, there was a wave of...