Today in United States v. Skrmetti, the United States Supreme Court upheld Tennessee’s SB1, a ban on gender-affirming healthcare for youth. The ruling means that the cruel bans on gender-affirming care for transgender youth that have passed in half of the country will remain in place. Importantly, this decision does not require states to ban gender-affirming care; states that have not passed bans should do everything possible to maintain access to care).
The Campaign for Southern Equality (CSE) manages the Trans Youth Emergency Project (TYEP) – a national project that has become a lifeline for the families of transgender youth impacted by the barrage of laws that prohibit or restrict access to transition-related care for minors. The Trans Youth Emergency Project is the only project of its scale and scope supporting families of transgender youth impacted by bans on gender-affirming care. The project provides 1-on-1 custom patient navigation services and supports families of transgender youth with emergency grants of $500, renewable every three months, to help them travel out of state for care.
Since launching the project in March 2023, CSE has distributed more than $600,000 in direct emergency grants to more than 1,200 families of transgender youth, in close partnership with state organizations in every state with a ban.
Since 2021, 27 states across the country, concentrated in the South and Midwest, have passed legislation restricting or banning access to gender-affirming healthcare for transgender youth; prior to 2020, no state had advanced a law like this. Click here for a nationwide map of where bans have passed and where they are in effect or on hold pending litigation. An estimated 40% of transgender youth nationwide – and 93% of transgender youth in the South – live in states with a ban.
As a result, families nationwide have been forced to make challenging decisions about how to support their children who depend on this medical care that is now prohibited or inaccessible. Some families have permanently relocated, but many more are staying in their home state, traveling extreme distances and incurring significant expenses. TYEP helps these families understand their options.
Allison Scott (she/her pronouns) of the Campaign for Southern Equality said today:
“No one should be forced to leave their home state to access healthcare – and it is outrageous to see the U.S. Supreme Court uphold these bans and continue to allow the government to interfere with the personal medical decisions of families. The Court’s ruling can’t change what we know in our bones: our identities, our families, and our lives are strong, worthy, and not up for debate by extremists. The Trans Youth Emergency Project will be here to help families navigate this painful time.”
Van Bailey (they/them pronouns), a patient navigator for CSE’s Trans Youth Emergency Project, added:
“Every day I speak with families of transgender youth who are worried about the future. Many are panicking, unsure of where or when they’ll get the medicine that their child needs to continue leading a healthy, happy life. These laws are cruelly thrusting families into impossible choices, and it is deeply unfair. I’m honored that we can provide some measure of relief and support, talking families through their options and reminding them that there’s a whole community behind them, ready to pitch in and help them through this crisis.”
Families of transgender youth in any state with a ban on gender-affirming care can contact the Trans Youth Emergency Project at www.transyouthemergencyproject.org. Supporters can make a donation at www.transyouthemergencyproject.org/supporttransyouth.
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