NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Several Tennessee lawmakers gathered this week to celebrate the Supreme Court's decision upholding the state's ban on gender-affirming care for minors, with some calling for similar legislation at the federal level.
"I want to call on Congress right now to pass a national ban on sexual mutilation. Yes, I said it. I am asking our friends in Congress and in the U.S. Senate to file a bill today that bans this nationwide," House Majority Leader William Lamberth said.
The ruling upholds similar bans in more than 20 other states, creating challenges for families who have already relocated from Tennessee because of the law.
Some families with transgender children left Tennessee since the state banned gender-affirming care for minors in 2023, citing safety concerns and threats.
"We received some pretty serious death threats, and I no longer felt safe in Tennessee," Kristen Chapman said.
Chapman, whose daughter lost access to hormone treatments and puberty blockers, moved her family to Virginia after the law passed.
"I would say most trans kids' medical care is literally suicide prevention for these kids," Chapman said.
Two other families interviewed requested anonymity due to safety concerns in the current political climate.
"So that's what any parent wants. We want our kids alive. We want them to live, to grow up and be 18 and make other decisions for themselves," said a parent who relocated to Minnesota.
While opponents of gender-affirming care express concerns about children later regretting transition-related decisions, the interviewed parents emphasized that their children are not undergoing surgical procedures. Some receive counseling while others take medications to pause puberty – interventions that they say are not permanent.
Gender-affirming care is endorsed by major medical organizations, including the American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics as clinically appropriate for children and adults with gender dysphoria.
"Gender-affirming care. It can be called that, but it's just seeing a therapist and, you know, maybe going to a support group," one anonymous parent said.
A parent from a seven-generation Tennessee family who relocated explained that their child began questioning their gender at age 6, despite having no prior exposure to information about gender identity. After initially dismissing it as a phase, persistent corrections from their child led them to consult medical professionals.
"We're talking a five to six-year process, meeting with doctors, getting therapy before you know that decision is made to do any sort of medical intervention," said another parent now living in California.
These families are part of a small community of approximately 20 families who felt compelled to leave Tennessee. According to the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law, at least 110,000 transgender youth already live in states with restrictions on gender-affirming care.
"I think that the assumption that we don't have our child, that our we don't have our children's best interest at heart is what hurts the most, because we like, I would do anything for my kids, and I don't want my child to be on medication, but you have to weigh the pros and cons and what you want your kids future to be," one mother said.
The Supreme Court's decision to uphold Tennessee's ban has these families concerned about their children's futures.
"I just wonder, where does it end, and what does this mean for my kid's future? Is my child even going to be welcome in the country that they were born in? You know, it's a hard realization," said one of the mothers.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at Patsy.Montesinos@newschannel5.com
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