They Stayed. Trans Families in Texas Built the Support System the State Refused to Provide.

29,800 Trans Youth in Texas

Texas has an estimated 29,800 transgender youth ages 13-17, the largest trans youth population of any state. Nationally, 362,900 transgender youth live in the 27 states that have banned gender-affirming care. That is 50% of all trans youth in the country.

On September 1, 2023, SB 14 took effect after the Texas Supreme Court upheld it 8-1 on June 28, 2024. The law bans all gender-affirming medical care for anyone under 18 and threatens providers with loss of their medical license.

The Texas Attorney General’s office compiled a list of 16,466 people who changed the gender marker on their driver’s licenses between 2020 and 2022. The state has not explained why.

29,800 trans youth in Texas. 362,900 in ban states nationwide. 16,466 on a state-compiled list.

Who Left, Who Stayed

47% of transgender adults have considered moving because of anti-trans laws, according to a national survey of 92,000 respondents. 5% already relocated.

Updated Williams Institute data shows the numbers are growing. 48% of transgender adults have considered moving to more affirming locations. 9% reported moving since November 2024. The majority came from Texas, Arizona, Florida, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, and Virginia.

But the majority stayed. Not because they wanted to live under these laws. Because they had jobs, mortgages, aging parents, custody agreements, or no money to relocate.

Trans Kids and Families of Texas started in 2015 as a parental support group in Dallas-Fort Worth. It has grown to more than 500 families across the state. What began as parents meeting in a therapist’s office became a statewide network.

What SB 14 Took Away

What Texas took	What it means for families
Gender-affirming care for minors (SB 14)	Children on puberty blockers or hormones forced to stop or leave the state
Medical license protection for providers	Doctors who continued treating trans youth risked losing their careers
Safety from state investigation	Texas classified providing care as child abuse, triggering CPS investigations
In-state care access	Families must travel out of state for routine medical appointments
School bathroom access for trans youth	13,800 high school-aged trans youth affected by proposed restrictions

What Families Built Instead

The Trans Youth Emergency Project, run by the Campaign for Southern Equality, is the only national program offering one-on-one navigation for families affected by care bans. They provide $500 renewable travel grants (up to four times per year) for families crossing state lines for care. Families can also apply for $250 emergency grants for legal services, emergency planning, and mental health support.

The Transgender Education Network of Texas (TENT) is the largest statewide, BIPOC trans-led policy organization in Texas. TENT built a resource system for families navigating school policies, legal questions, and healthcare access after SB 14.

PFLAG chapters across Texas provide parent advocacy training. OutYouth in Austin serves youth ages 11-24 through peer support groups, parent education, and social programs.

Five Texas families with trans children ages 9-16 sued the state pseudonymously to block SB 14. One family temporarily split up so the mother could take the children out of state for care while the father stayed for his job.

A family from North Texas whose 15-year-old was on puberty blockers when SB 14 took effect drove 34 hours round-trip to Minnesota for care. The mother described using Starbucks as the safest place to use the bathroom along the way. She described living in a “daily danger zone” after Texas classified providing care as child abuse.

What the Research Shows About Care

Gender-affirming care is supported by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, and the American Psychological Association as the standard of care for trans youth.

A peer-reviewed study in The Journal of Pediatrics found suicidality scores dropped 68% (from 0.46 to 0.15) after trans youth received hormone therapy. Only 7 of 432 patients discontinued treatment.

A Nature Human Behaviour study (2024) found that anti-trans state laws caused up to a 72% increase in suicide attempts among trans youth ages 13-17. The study’s lead researcher, Ranita Nath of the Trevor Project, stated: “State-level anti-transgender laws caused — not associated with, not linked to — we can say confidently, they caused up to a 72% increase in past-year suicide attempts among trans and nonbinary young people.”

68% drop in suicidality after gender-affirming hormone therapy. 72% increase in suicide attempts after anti-trans laws.

Dr. Ximena Lopez, a pediatrician who left Texas after SB 14, described her last months: “I had to hold tears every patient. It was devastating.”

Why It Matters

The story of trans families in Texas is usually told as a story of loss. The losses are real. Healthcare access gone. Doctors leaving the state. Children forced to stop treatment that was working.

But the families who stayed built something. A 500-family support network. Travel grants. Emergency funds. Legal resources. Parent advocacy. Peer support for kids as young as six.

They created the infrastructure that the state government refused to provide. In a state that told their children they do not matter, they built the proof that they do.

If you or someone you know needs support:

Trevor Project: 1-866-488-7386 or text START to 678-678
Trans Lifeline: 877-565-8860
988 Lifeline: Call 988
Trans Youth Emergency Project: Apply for travel grants