Texas mom opposes ban on hormone treatments on minors: My daughter 'transitioned socially' at five years old
The Texas Senate voted in favor of a bill banning gender therapies for children on Wednesday
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A Texas mom identified as Rachel stated that her child "transitioned socially" at age five while attacking a recent state bill that would ban gender treatments for minors.
Appearing on MSNBC’s "José Díaz-Balart Reports" Thursday morning, Rachel, who requested the network not use her last name, discussed the negative impact of the Texas bill on transgender children. She referenced her own kid as an example, claiming that her 13-year-old began transitioning "socially" at age five.
"Our daughter transitioned socially when she was five years old," she said. "So the vast majority of transition is social. It is allowing children to be able to show the rest of the world who they are on the inside. And for my daughter that meant growing her hair out, wearing dresses and changing her name. So it’s — there’s really not any kind of medical intervention until puberty."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A Texas mom said that her child "socially transitioned" at age five while appearing on MSNBC. (MSNBC)
She continued, "And you know, puberty blockers are totally reversible. These are used for a variety of different healthcare reasons, not just for transgender youth, that’s how we know that this is a deeply discriminatory bill because it’s only banning the same health care that’s accessible to non-transgender children, and only — only targets trans kids."
The Texas Senate voted 19-12 on Wednesday to pass a bill that would prohibit minors from receiving puberty blockers or other hormone therapies used to transition. Transgender youth currently in the process of hormone therapy would also be required to be "weaned" off appropriately.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In addition to insisting that her child would not have access to "lifesaving, medically necessary best practice care," Rachel attacked the Republicans for seeking to protect some "parental rights" over others.
A Texas bill would prohibit minors from receiving hormone and gender therapies. (Stephen Zenner/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
"We know what’s best for our kid, and we don’t expect our legislators to understand this, but they’ve decided that they need to interfere in our personal lives to use our child as a political pawn. And it’s really been infuriating to say the least, especially in the hypocrisy of all of the parental rights that are being proposed by the far right. But it’s only very specific parental rights, because we are obviously not afforded those same rights," she said.
Rachel also showed concern for her other children, stating that they fear protective services will "split up" the family because of this.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"We have two other kids. And they’re terrified that the Department of Family Protective Services is going to split up our family after the directive came out from the governor last year, and we’re watching what’s happening in Florida, and then here in Texas, I mean, our family is explicitly used as a political pawn by extremist legislators," Rachel said.
She added, "And I don’t know — I don’t know what else to tell my children except we will get through this together, because everybody’s — well, OK, I don’t want to say that, I don’t want to say everybody’s fleeing state, a lot of people are fleeing the state, but a lot — a lot more kids cannot leave the state, and they deserve to have the access to health care that you know, everybody else has."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}If Gov. Greg Abbott signs the bill into law, it takes effect on Sept. 1. (ALLISON DINNER/AFP via Getty Images)
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The bill now heads to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk. If signed into law, the ban would begin September 1.