For resources and support, call at 877-565-8860, at 866-488-7386 or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255.
Corbin, who鈥檚 from North Texas, doesn鈥檛 feel safe in the state.
鈥淢ultiple times I've been trying to bring up leaving in any way I can,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 don't want to be here anymore.鈥�
Corbin said the concept of moving out of Texas went from something he never really talked about to something he brings up a lot. We鈥檙e not using his or anyone else鈥檚 full names in the story because they feel unsafe given the current climate for trans youth and their families.
Eric, Corbin鈥檚 dad, said his son has put serious thought into leaving Texas.
鈥淗e's even come to us with plans of possibly going out of country to claim asylum, because this whole situation has scared him that much,鈥� he said.
Eric and Corbin aren鈥檛 the only ones having these conversations. since Gov. Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton directed the Department of Family and Protective Services to .
Parents say investigations are a play "for votes"
This directive stemmed from the 2021 legislative session, , and an August letter from Gov. Abbott to Department Commissioner Jaime Masters, inquiring on whether .
As a parent, Eric said these actions by Texas leaders aren鈥檛 about caring for children, but rather amount to political maneuvering in a contentious election year. Texas Republicans have made ; both Gov. Abbott and Paxton are up for reelection in November.
鈥淭his is really about their beliefs, their fears, and their emotional attachment to gender, rather than any kind of science whatsoever,鈥� Eric said. 鈥淎nd to me, when a government starts putting feelings above facts and science, that becomes dangerous.鈥�
Frederick, another parent of a trans teenager in North Texas, said he thinks the politicians don鈥檛 speak for the rest of the state.
鈥淚 think they're bigoted,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 think they're narrow-minded. I think they're cynical. And I think they're just playing this for votes. Some of them may be true believers in their bigotry and others are just cynical opportunists.鈥�
Gender-affirming care targeted by Texas leaders
Multiple healthcare organizations across the country rallied together to underline the importance of gender-affirming care since it became targeted by the state. Both the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Texas Pediatric Society (TPS) stating that taking away access to affirming care 鈥渄irectly threaten[s] the health and well-being of transgender youth.鈥�
A statement by the American Psychological Association (APA) said the directive
During this time, Corbin said he was scared to go to the doctor, even for routine visits.
鈥淚 did not even try to correct them on my name or anything because I was just terrified that they would report me and so, didn't feel great for a while,鈥� he said.
William, another teenager who鈥檚 also from North Texas, said he doesn鈥檛 think the state can legally stop people from accessing gender-affirming care.
鈥淚 think they're relying a lot on like, the scare factor, instead of the actual effect of what they're doing,鈥� he said. 鈥淚s my getting testosterone and surgeries and stuff actually going to affect their lives? This isn鈥檛 done on a whim.鈥�
William said receiving care has been lifesaving for him.
鈥淏efore you transition, it can be easy to doubt yourself and think that you鈥檙e crazy, but when someone can inform you about this stuff it makes it a lot easier,鈥� he said.
Texas state investigators report families of trans youth
Because the directive deals with minors and the Department of Family and Protective Services, that meant that , could be compelled to report families to the state. It鈥檚 what actually happened to the Voe family in the that was filed in June.
In case documents, mother Mirabel Voe discussed her son鈥檚 emotional distress over Abbott鈥檚 letter in February. He was eventually hospitalized and then transferred to an outpatient location for mental health treatment. When there, staff at the facility found out the teenager was .
Less than a week after he was discharged, someone from Child Protective Services came to the Voe鈥檚 home to investigate Mirabel for 鈥渁llegedly providing her son with treatment for gender dysphoria.鈥� The investigations "devastated [her son's] life," and the family is scared that they'll be separated by this directive.
Guidance for social workers and other mandated reporters was unclear, and months later families with trans youth are still being investigated even though the directive is not a Texas law. In close to , the department navigated questions about the change, urging staff to avoid writing down information about the directive or any families being investigated in emails.
In an email from Feb. 24, 2022, a staff member from Donna ISD in southern Texas asked if the department could provide guidance on what the directive meant. One employee, forwarding the email to their supervisor, wrote: 鈥淭his is Texas now? Because this is BS. Sorry not sorry. Really??? So, who do I refer them to and is this really what we are doing now?鈥�
Where do trans youth in Texas stand now?
The future for trans youth and their families in Texas is murky. The most recent lawsuit, , is currently cycling through the courts. It will decide whether investigations can continue into three families and people belonging to the national LGBTQ+ advocacy organization . People who don鈥檛 belong to PFLAG can still be investigated. A court date to settle the matter for good isn鈥檛 slated until June 2023.
Despite everything, North Texas parent Frederick said there are still reasons to be hopeful.
鈥淧rogress seems inevitable,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here'll be some squealing and opposition here and there, but it's not going to stop anything. I guess I'm an optimist really, when it comes to all this stuff.鈥�
Corbin and his dad Eric hope people understand what鈥檚 at stake for trans youth.
鈥淢ost of us literally just want to dress different, go by a different name,鈥� said Corbin. 鈥淲e already have enough problem with that, we don't need danger in the mix.鈥�
He said he鈥檚 encouraged by friends he made online, both in Texas and other states, who are supportive and understand what he鈥檚 going through.
鈥淲e just want to live, man,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e're not we're not harming anyone by living.鈥�
Got a tip? Email Elena Rivera at erivera@kera.org. You can follow Elena on Twitter .
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