Trans Youth ‘terrified Of What Louisianas New Health Care Ban Will Mean
way. Tammany Parish, I. - For the past two years, Quinn has been using weekly testosterone injections without hesitation.
Meanwhile, the 17-year-old trans boy says his self-esteem, school and family life have greatly improved. Her fear of needles also disappeared.
“[The transition] made me look forward to things more because now I can take care of the best version of myself,” said Quinn, who asked not to be named out of concern for his safety. "It's something I've felt I've needed for a while. I can express myself better and feel comfortable doing it, which I think is a big step for me right now."
But at the beginning of the year there was a big threat.
A new law banning sex reassignment of minors in Louisiana took effect Jan. 1, banning puberty blockers, hormone treatments and sex reassignment surgery. Now, Quinn is unsure if he will be able to continue his hormone therapy.
Louisiana is one of 22 other states that have passed laws that limit or prohibit gender-affirming medical care that intersects with the health care needs of trans and non-binary people.
Queen's Gender Affirmation Clinic closed its doors in December pending passage of Act 466. Advocates for the LGBTQ+ community and families like Queens say there is now a wave of uncertainty because the law is unclear to patients as well as providers and pharmacies. The law allows minors under the age of 18 to stop taking the drug for one year.
The Quinn family currently does not have a doctor in the state who can provide medical care or write prescriptions. He and his parents should have a backup plan in case of a medical emergency or if prescription medication is damaged or lost.
LGBTQ+ rights groups say the law does not meet health care standards and that interpretations of the new measure may vary by health care professional.
So Quinn plans to give him prescription drugs for the next four months until he turns 18 in May.
"I don't know if they can continue to refill my meds or hormones every month. Even if they told me they could, I don't know if I should take the full dose or not," Quinn said. . "So it's kind of a guessing game."
He added that the new law will create a more negative situation for transgender people, "which will put us in more dangerous situations." "The idea of keeping children safe comes from people who are terrible for children."
Officers remove protesters holding signs reading "Protect Trans Youth" from the Louisiana State Capitol in July 2021 as lawmakers consider anti-trans legislation. Photo provided by WAFB-TV
The American Academy of Pediatrics and many other major medical societies support gender-affirming care for transgender and gender diverse youth. Research shows that gender-affirming health care, from using correct pronouns to treating adolescent partners and hormones, can reduce suicidal thoughts and lead to improved mental health outcomes.
For Quinn's father, Sean, who asked to remain anonymous out of concern for the family's safety, this new reality means he can no longer make decisions about his son's health care.
Sean said it's unfortunate that the law was passed in the first place and "was passed based on fear and misinformation."
"If we can't get more medicine from the pharmacist, I don't think we will be able to produce even a reduced amount until May," he said. "I don't know if we would be able to afford it if we had to fly on the weekend to see a doctor in another state."
Read more: Why young activists in Louisiana say 'we will not be silent anymore'
Last week, LGBTQ+ rights advocate Lambda Legal filed a "stop harm" lawsuit on behalf of five transgender youth and their families who are suing Louisiana over the ban. The minors are between the ages of 9 and 16 and are identified in the lawsuit by pseudonyms for privacy and security reasons. The law "denies essential and often life-saving medical care," the suit says.
"This health care has allowed me to be happy, healthy and realize my true self - the child I know. I am very afraid of the consequences of stopping health care and I am worried about how my mental health is deteriorating. "Gender dysphoria is the anxiety or discomfort that occurs when a person's gender identity does not match their assigned gender. Not all transgender people experience gender dysphoria."
Lambda said the legal ban is unconstitutional and discriminatory in denying transgender youth access to necessary medical care. The lawsuit also states that the new law will suspend the professional or professional license or certification of health care providers in the state for at least two years.
Dr. Meredith McNamara, assistant professor of pediatrics at Yale University School of Medicine, joins The Newshour's Jeff Bennett to discuss common myths about gender-affirming medical care for youth.
Proponents of the ban include former state attorney general and incoming Republican Gov. Jeff Landry. As he said last summer, the law "protects young people from irreversible and potentially life-altering actions before they are old enough to make informed decisions." He also tweeted: “Gender classification should have no place in our society. »
Opponents of the new law say the ban campaign is filled with misinformation and religious arguments, and predict the spread of some treatments. A 2023 Louisiana Department of Health study based on teens enrolled in Medicaid found that between 2017 and 2021, no sex-reassignment surgery was performed on children in the state, and a few dozen teens received sex-reassignment care each year.
State lawmakers approved the study in 2015. They gave in 2022 and used the findings to argue for health care restrictions that oppose or oppose gender-based care. The study looked only at people receiving this care on Medicaid, not patients in other health systems or with different insurance companies.
Of the nearly 800,000 children enrolled in Medicaid in the state, 465 had gender dysphoria diagnosed by health care providers in 2021. Of those children, 57 were considered candidates for adolescent partners or hormone replacement, according to a Health Department study. State health. .
Ask for caution
Since the law's passage last summer, parents have left support networks, family and certified caregivers behind to seek care, said Omar Gonzalez Pagan, a health care attorney and strategist at Lambda Legal. He added that the new Louisiana law has nothing to do with keeping young people safe.
Gonzalez Pagan said: "It's about making the silenced and victimized minority a stronghold for political purposes. It's about enforcing gender equality and erasing people from the LGBTQ community from public spaces." "Indeed, it forces them to endure the pain and suffering of physical changes that don't fit their identity. It puts our young people at risk, gambling on the possibility that some of them will survive to old age."
Demonstrators gathered outside the Shreveport, Louisiana courthouse in May to protest several anti-LGBT bills being considered by state lawmakers. Photo by Henrietta Wildsmith/The Times/USA Today Network
The state ban is subject to legal challenges. Some have been temporarily blocked by federal judges. Arkansas' ban, the first of its kind in the nation, was ruled unconstitutional in June, and a Kentucky judge later lifted a temporary stay on the state's health care ban, allowing it to proceed. Last week, a federal appeals court ruled that Alabama could enforce the ban pending a lawsuit.
Advocates say the impact of Louisiana's ban comes after the state's Republican-majority legislature voted in July to override the Democratic governor's veto of the law.
"Not only does this law put their health at risk, it creates barriers to providing that care. We've seen medical providers leave Louisiana because of this law," Gonzalez-Pagan said. "It forces families to ensure the health and safety of their children and forces people to leave their homes."
Payton Rose Michel, executive director of Louisiana Trans Advocates, said the law wrongly assumes parents and doctors don't know what's best for their children, which has caused a lot of confusion and panic.
"We've seen gender confirmation clinics and surgeries close months in advance because they don't know what's going on. They just read the headlines. They get scared and run away," said Michelle, 26. - Years old. - Elderly trans woman: “Parents spent most of the last year going to the doctor out of state and traveling out of state. Others were simply terrified. It was already a minefield to explore, and today there are even more mines.
Ochsner Health, one of the state's largest hospitals, introduced its gender confirmation clinic and minors. Patients and advocates say the clinic is now closed. Clinic staff testified before lawmakers last summer arguing against the ban.
Banned throughout the south
Although most states in the South have banned the practice, charities refer young people and their families to clinics and doctors who offer many of the procedures under gender confirmation.
The waiting list can be long and traveling to get this care can be expensive. In the year A July 2023 report from the Journal of the American Medical Association found that 25 percent of youth ages 10 to 17 now live more than a four-hour drive one way from a clinic that could provide treatment. Before states imposed restrictions, only 1.4% lived far from a clinic.
The Equality Campaign in the South defined the landscape of gender-affirming care for minors.
Families of transgender children know what's at stake, Rev. Jasmine Beach Ferrara, executive director of the campaign.
"They watched their child suffer because they didn't get the care they needed, then thrived when they got the care they needed," she said. "You put all options on the table and that's what you do when your child needs help." Our hope and goal is to support families as they understand.
See: Families with trans children struggle to cope with wave of anti-trans policies
Because of the southern ban, someone from Louisiana would have to travel nine to 15 hours to South Carolina, New Mexico or Kansas to get care, organizers said. The group started supporting families about a year ago and says its demand has grown with the number of anti-trans laws being introduced across the country. Republican-led state lawmakers are expected to place more restrictions on gender-affirming care in the new year and, in some cases, expand it to target adults.
In South Carolina, one of the few southern states without a ban, a House committee voted Wednesday to support legislation that would ban gender-affirming care for minors and prevent Medicaid from covering such care. Care for people under 25 years of age.
Campaign for Southern Equality is now providing assistance to families through a program called the Southern Trans Youth Emergency Project, launched in the wake of anti-transgender bills. It operates in 14 states and offers $500 in gifts per clinic visit. To date, the project has provided $350,000 in emergency aid to families of transgender youth.
Some families now drive two to three days to get care, while others make two to four trips a year for medical care, adding to the financial burden of out-of-state travel and vacations, Beach Ferrara said. Work and absence from school. Another group, Elevated Access, offers flights to people who live too far to drive.
Advocates warn that families who cannot overcome the financial and time barriers associated with overseas travel may face delays in medical care or lack of access to care.
Beach-Ferrara said the laws have created over-compliance, meaning providers withhold more services than the law requires out of confusion or a desire to minimize any risk of prosecution.
"What concerns me on a human level is that it's causing pain and distress in young people and putting queer youth and young people at greater risk for what we know. Trans people in particular are already at high risk. Including depression, suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts.
"Safety bars removed."
LGBTQ+ advocates worry about the possibility of more anti-trans laws, such as limiting the treatment of adults, now that the state's conservative Republicans hold sway in both chambers of the state legislature and the new Republican governor has replaced Democrat John Bel Edwards.
"We don't believe this wave has reached its peak. It's very clear from our assessment of what's going on, and we understand that for the extremist groups pushing for these laws, the barriers have been raised," Beach-Ferrara said. . We need to consider all possible scenarios in the next round to limit the access of young people and adults. »
Quinn's father, Sean, said the breakup is stressful for all families facing this new reality.
"It's hard to pass at first," he said, but "it's annoying" to be denied if it's not your choice.
"I want to put a warm blanket around my son. He's my son. I don't want to see him or anyone else go through that kind of emotional pain and I can only imagine how I would feel if that happened."
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