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Important Texas Update and Resources

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Despite attacks by state anti-trans legislation and hateful opinions from state attorney generals and governors like in Texas, trans people, and more particularly, trans youth are protected from health care discrimination under federal law. Here’s how to use those protections to get the health care you need—and how to stand up against the attempts to promote discrimination.

Here's what you need to know

The bottom line: Federal law protects trans people and trans youth from discrimination in health care, including discriminatory and unnecessary barriers to gender affirming care. Governor Greg Abbott is trying to criminalize gender-affirming care—but it can’t change the fact that gender affirming care saves lives and that anti-trans discrimination in health care is illegal—and more importantly harassing trans youth and their families is unconstitutional.

Recently in Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott directed state agencies to forcibly investigate families and caregivers who provide gender affirming care to their youth, and to “refer for prosecution any such abuse”. However, the night of March 2nd, 2022, President Biden and his administration released a strong statement against these unsubstantial and not legally binding claims and we want to make sure our community, especially trans youth, understand under federal law, trans youth have the right to life-saving gender affirming care.

With the law on our side, we can and will fight these attacks—and trans people, especially trans youth, can continue to use the ACA’s protections and the Office for Civil Rights to advocate for themselves. 

Fight back against state anti-transgender and gender affirming care bans and attacks

Learn more about the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to fight back.

  • Tweet from President Joseph Biden.

Learn more about others’ efforts to fight back.

  • Statement can be found here.

Resources for being a gender affirming care advocate in your community

Not just in Texas, these resources and tools are key to any trans person facing health and transition-related discrimination. Any caregiver who loves and supports their child and is taking them to a licensed healthcare provider for gender affirming care is not engaging in child abuse. No court has ever found that providing trans young people with gender-affirming health care constitutes child abuse.

Statements by major medical organizations in response to Texas, clearly stating that gender affirming care saves lives and it’s not child abuse.

Advocating to get the care you need

You still have a right to health care and social services without discrimination. The Department of Health and Human Services has released several guidance for Texas and other states facing anti-trans attacks, including:

If you believe that you or another party has been discriminated against on the basis of gender identity or disability in seeking to access gender affirming health care, visit the OCR complaint portal to file a complaint online.

Other resources, information, and support

Actions you can take to support trans youth in Texas

By NCTE

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