Families in States with Bans on Trans Care are Finding Hope Across State Lines
August 19, 2024 at 10:48PMIn this important story for Harvard Public Health, Barry Yeoman follows 16-year-old Leo, a trans youth who has crossed state lines to access gender-affirming care. His home state, North Carolina, has banned hormone therapy, but with the support of medical professionals and organizations like Duke Child and Adolescent Gender Care Clinic, his family has been able to navigate the system so he can receive the care he needs.
About 18 of Adkins’s patients, including Leo, now use this interstate solution.
But only a limited number of Virginia doctors do this work, she says, and they’re overwhelmed by medical refugees from nearby states. They also fear that collaborating with doctors in those states will attract hostile attention, particularly because Virginia does not have a shield law protecting transgender health care.
Leo is fortunate compared to many trans teens. His parents have professional jobs, and his mother can take time off for overnight medical trips. They have been unfailingly supportive, as have other adults in Leo’s life. Plus, he has only one state line to cross. “It sucks that we have to do it at all, because it’s a big hassle,” he says. “But at the very least . . . we’re not in a deep, deep South area.”
from Longreads https://longreads.com/2024/08/19/families-in-states-with-bans-on-trans-care-are-finding-hope-across-state-lines/
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