Transgender and gender non-conforming kids are under attack. They need our support | Opinion

Growing up seemed like a constant struggle to figure out who I was. I was a jock, a band geek, a twin to the third smartest person in our grade, a child of divorced parents, and a butch lesbian — or so I thought.

It wasn’t until my freshman year of college that I heard the term transgender, and it was like a light bulb went off. I had no idea there was a word for how I felt, let alone something I could do about it. In high school, I was so sad all the time. I knew that there was something that never felt right, but I could never put a finger on it. I thought that I was just struggling because my mom couldn’t accept that I was a lesbian.

It felt like sadness had seeped into every cell of my body, every corner of my soul, and infected my ability to find any ounce of joy. I often thought about ending my life. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for youth ages 10-24 and 41% of transgender people have attempted suicide in their lifetime.

Last year, three states passed laws making it illegal for transgender and gender non-conforming (TGNC) youth to access gender-affirming care. This year, so far, 23 states have proposed similar bills: that’s almost 50% of the country.

In 2022, Arkansas passed the “Save Adolescents from Experimentation Act”, and Alabama passed the “Vulnerable Child Compassion and Protection Act.” There is one thing that all these bills have in common, an ill-gotten belief that politicians are trying to protect trans kids by making it illegal for them to access gender-affirming care.

These bills are not supported by medical science, nor healthcare providers. The Endocrine Society rewrote its guidelines in 2009 to address the needs of TGNC youth. Studies consistently show that gender-affirming care is lifesaving care. By supporting our trans youth we can decrease depression and suicidality.

Conservative lawmakers are not trying to protect TGNC youth with proposals like these — they are trying to erase TGNC folks from their communities. These laws are not designed to protect our children; they would create a society where they cannot live their truth, increasing the likelihood that they will succumb to suicide.

When conservative lawmakers deny access to gender-affirming care, they are enforcing the very stigma that feeds into the discrimination that TGNC folks experience on a daily basis. This stigma will make it harder for TGNC youth to come out and tell their families who they really are due to fear of not finding love and support, further subjecting them to loneliness and internalized shame.

Under these laws, families that want to support their TGNC children will be forced to move across state lines to provide a safe and nurturing environment — if they have the financial means to do so. The states passing these bills are not going to be safe for transgender or gender non-conforming youth. I doubt they will be safe for adults in this community, either.

The repercussions of these laws are almost unfathomable. Imagine a world where being transgender is a death sentence — because that is where this country is headed if we don’t stop these bills from becoming law.

Transgender and gender non-conforming (TGNC) youth need our help. They need federal protections to be able to access the care they need. It is likely that there will be an increase in depression and suicidality among this population unless we act now. The Minority Stress Model links stigma and discrimination, along with a person having to hide their identity and internalized shame with mental anguish to poor physical and mental health outcomes.

We have the power to disrupt this cycle of oppression. We must stop the new anti-trans bills from being enacted into law. Everyone has the power to help address this issue by contacting their local representatives and telling them that this issue is important. If you live in a state where an ant-trans bill is being considered — including Washington — it is imperative to act now. Pick up the phone or write an email to your local representative today and tell them to put an end to these bills.

Tell them we need federal protections for TGNC youth to be able to access gender-affirming care.

Our children don’t need to take their lives because the world seems unbearable.

We can create a world where they are loved and valued just as they are.

Connor Wesley lives in Tacoma and has been a nurse for the last nine years. For the last decade, he has lectured locally and nationally about supporting transgender patients in healthcare.

This story was originally published February 14, 2023 at 5:00 AM.