LGBTQ Trans Legislation Updates

WHAT’S GOING ON IN TEXAS?

• The Texas state attorney general Ken Paxton called gender-affirming healthcare for trans youth “child abuse” and subsequently, state governor Greg Abbott ordered the Texas department of family and protective services (DFPS) to conduct an investigation into parents and professionals who provide gender-affirming care.

WHAT’S GOING ON IN FLORIDA?

• The “Don’t Say Gay” Bill (HB 1557) has passed the State House and is onto the State Senate — and if it becomes law, it would prohibit any teaching instruction in schools about sexuality or gender between kindergarten and third grade “or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.”

If you need crisis support, here are some resources:

• National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1 (800) 273-8255 and chat option
• Trans Lifeline: (877) 565-8860 (not 24 hours, but staffed only by trans people, provides trans peer support that is divested from police, run for and by trans people, with support available by phone and online.)
• Trevor Project’s LGBTQ+ Lifeline: 1 (866) 488-7386 OR text START to 678-678
• Blackline: 1 (800) 604-5841 (24/7 crisis line prioritizing BIPOC, and providing a space for peer support, counseling, witnessing and affirming the lived experiences to people who are most impacted by systematic oppression with an LGBTQ+ Black Femme Lens)
• The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender National Youth Talkline (youth serving youth through age 25) is available at 1-800-246-7743 and offers both telephone and online private one-to-one chat and email peer-support, as well as factual information and local resources for cities and towns across the U.S. They also offer a moderated chatroom for trans teens ages 19 and younger on Thursday and Fridays 4-7pm Pacific.
• GSA's or Gay Straight Alliance -is a student-led or community-based organization, found in middle schools, high schools, colleges, and universities. These are primarily in the United States and Canada.

If you’re a member with our LGBTQ+ services at Included Health, we can help you find more local resources if you submit a care request.

General Support and Resources:

• TrevorSpace is an affirming international community for LGBTQ young people ages 13-24. 
• Gender Spectrum offers a variety of free online support groups for trans, non-binary, and gender expansive people. They offer groups for all ages and families of trans people. 
• LGBTribe is a peer-to-peer support group for LGBT individuals with a variety of ways to engage, including live chat and forums. 
• Scarleteen offers LGBT+ inclusive sex education for teens and emerging adults, along with articles and information about gender, relationships, sexual health, consent, and much more. 

In Texas:

• OutYouth – offers a Gender Identity group for ages 12-18, and Wellness Check-Ins for any LGBTQIA+ Texas resident (a non-emergency single counseling session to process new life changes/the new reality we’re in)
• Texas GSA Network (Gender and Sexuality Alliance Network) – connects and empower LGBTQ+ youth leaders and allies statewide so they can fearlessly be themselves while making schools safer for everyone. 
• TENT (Transgender Education Network of Texas) – dedicated to furthering gender diverse equality in Texas through education and networking, striving to halt discrimination through social, legislative, and corporate education. 
• Texas Health Action funds and runs the Kind Clinic in Austin, which offers free sexual health services in a safe and supportive environment regardless of race, creed, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation or ability to pay, with an expertise in serving LGBTQ+ people and people impacted by HIV. Also offers TeleKind virtual visits for HIV care, HIV prevention, and Gender Affirming care.
• Resources for Transgender Youth in Texas through ACLU of Texas, or you can become an advocate for Transgender Youth in Texas. 

In Florida:

• Prism Florida works to provide LGBTQ+ youth in South Florida with LGBTG+-inclusive educational resources.
• The Florida School Counselor Association has myriad resources for queer and trans youth across the state on its site.

• Gender Spectrum offers free online support groups for family members of trans, non-binary, and gender expansive people.
• PFLAG has more than 400 local chapters across the country for support in person, online, and by telephone, offering information and resources as well as peer-to-peer confidential dialogue to share concerns and ask all your questions in a supportive environment. PFLAG’s “Our Trans Loved Ones: Questions and Answers for Parents, Families, and Friends of People Who Are Transgender and Gender Expansive” is an updated resource full of information and expert input geared toward those who have a loved one who has come out as trans or gender expansive.
• Schyuler Bailar’s list of resources for parents of trans kids contains a wealth of information including reading lists and information about anti-trans bills in West Virginia, Florida, and Alabama, including email templates for contacting legislators

You can always call your legislators and speak up against harmful legislation in your state.

• Donate to organizations that support trans youth, including Equality Texas, Transgender Education Network of Texas, The Trevor Project, Gender Spectrum, Trans Lifeline, Transgender Law Center, inTRANSitive, Tranzmission, or your local LGBT Community Center
• Stay up to date on legislation in your state here (aclu.org) and here (tracktranslegislation.com). If you’re not sure who to contact you can look up your state representatives here. 
• Listen to trans activists such as ACLU attorney Chase Strangio (Instagram, Twitter), Raquel Willis (Instagram), and Schuyler Bailar (Instagram, Twitter) 
• Educate yourself on the History of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Social Movements 
• Visibility Alone Will Not Keep Transgender Youth Safe, change happens through political and direct action.
• Let us know about trans-affirming providers by Reviewing a Provider; this enables Included Health to add new affirming providers to our directory.