by Fae Johnstone
” We condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the horrendous attack on transgender children and youth by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and the Governor of Texas, Greg Abbott “
Gender-Affirming Healthcare is not child abuse; it is in fact life-saving care. Restricting transgender children and youth’s access to gender-affirming care, and threatening parents and other adults who support trans children and youth accessing gender-affirming health, are reprehensible, politically motivated, and hateful acts that fly in the face of human rights and medical best practice.
Governor Abbot and Attorney General Paxton are ignoring actual instances of child abuse – such as the mistreatment of trans and gender-diverse children in their homes, schools and communities. Instead, they are putting transgender children and youth at even greater risk of harm by denying them access to necessary healthcare. Criminalizing supportive parents of transgender children puts transgender children and youth at risk of further harm.
As Texas politicians move to further restrict access to necessary healthcare for transgender children, they do so whilst ignoring the actual issues putting transgender children and youth at risk of abuse: systemic transphobia, and transphobic hate, violence and harassment.
Trans children, youth and families need our support, not constraints on access to necessary health and social services. These actions by the Governor and Attorney General of Texas will cause immense harm to young people. We feel the ripple effect here in Canada as trans communities wrangle with the news of yet another attack on our rights.
Attacks on trans rights, particularly attacks on trans youth’s access to evidence-based gender-affirming healthcare, are on the rise in the US and UK. Anti-trans and anti-2SLGBTQ+ groups are mobilizing across Canada too. We, as individuals and organizations, must confront this bigotry both at home and aboard. We must call on our governments and elected officials to do the same.
When hate is left unchallenged, it is emboldened. We must confront hate and bigotry in our communities, in the US, and around the world. We call upon other Canadian organizations as well as Canadian legislators to unequivocally condemn Governor Abbott and Attorney General Paxton’s recent actions against transgender children and youth.
Our executive director made a $250.00 donation to the Equality Texas on behalf of Wisdom2Action and we encourage you to do the same.
In the spirit of reconciliation, Wisdom2Action acknowledges the land on which it was originally established as the traditional and unceded territory of the M’ikmaq, known as Mi’kmak’i (Nova Scotia). Our team is spread across Turtle Island (Canada) on the treaty lands of many First Nations. We recognize the people and the land in this way as part of our commitment to anti-oppression and decolonization. We are all treaty people.
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