NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Advocates, families and community leaders gathered virtually Wednesday evening for an emergency town hall to discuss the anti-transgender legislation passed in Tennessee.
It was hosted by the Campaign for Southern Equality and was meant to answer questions from families and learn about the resources available to them. Recently, a panel of judges decided a Tennessee law effectively banning gender-affirming care for transgender youth could go into effect.
A federal judge originally issued an injunction against the ban, which was then effectively paused by the appeals court, allowing it to go into effect.
"It's in a complicated posture right now," said Lucas Cameron-Vaughn, an attorney involved in the lawsuit who spoke at the town hall. "This is all a preliminary situation. What they're doing is the Court of Appeals said they're going to expedite the review of the appeal, which they plan to issue a decision by Sept. 30. Their decision could either uphold the judge's order blocking the law, or it could overturn the judge's order."
He also said the law allows for the continuation of gender-affirming care if the patient was already receiving it as of July 1, until March 30, 2024. After that, no healthcare providers in Tennessee would be able to provide gender-affirming care for transgender youth.
"We are still really early in this fight, and it's far from over. We at the ACLU won't stop defending these rights," he said. "We've had a little bit of a setback, but we're going to keep fighting."
Carolyn Jones, who works with the Southern Trans Youth Emergency Project, said the project exists in states where bans on gender-affirming care are being considered or are in place. She said the project helps families find healthcare in other states, while also helping them cover the costs for continuing care.
She also said not all providers in Tennessee would continue providing transgender minors with gender-affirming care through March 30, 2024. So, she said families should reach out to providers to learn more about whether care would continue to be available.
"We will help you figure out an answer, but for families in Eastern and Central Tennessee for whom traveling to North Carolina to continue care feels like the best option, we encourage you to reach out to us as soon as possible," she said.
She said they may be able to direct families to clinics, but there could be an Aug. 1 deadline to start a new course of treatment.
Other resources are also available in West Tennessee, through OUTMemphis. The community center runs PRYSM, which focuses on bringing together LGBTQ+ people between 12 years old and 17 years old to hang out and enjoy planned activities. The youth group generally meets once per week on Saturdays. Molly Quinn, from OUTMemphis, also said PRYSM offers an online service giving youth a chance to connect with others.
Starting in August, OUTMemphis will also offer case management and direct care for LGBTQ+ youth regardless of what they are seeking.
"I know there are many, many trans and gender-nonconforming youth who maybe are still figuring out what role gender-affirming care plays in your life. But maybe you're seeking information about mental health, or shapewear, or social transition, or relationships, or how to talk to your parents — our case management will provide all of that amazing care," she said.
She said the care would be available to West Tennessee residents.
Aly Chapman with the Tennessee Equality Project also said they are focused on legislative advocacy at local and state levels. She said they offer legislative advocacy training and events like postcard writing.
She specifically wanted to reference an incident when the Attorney General's Office received the records of transgender patients who received gender-affirming care at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
"This goes way beyond that," she said. "The onus is unfortunately on healthcare providers and hospitals to really secure confidentiality and to rebuild trust with patients again."
She said people may not be fully honest in the exam room, or avoid receiving care altogether because the incident could lead them to believe their records may be accessible to state figures. She said the incident violated trust between the transgender community and healthcare providers.
She said other bills that the legislature considered, such as one that would prohibit healthcare companies from working with TennCare if they give gender-affirming care, could be used to prevent gender-affirming care for adults. She also said there was a case in Williamson County who was refused a gender marker change on their driver's license due to a new law.