Families of transgender youth in Alabama face some difficult choices

Families of transgender youth in Alabama face some difficult choices

Transcript²

Providing gender¹-affirming care to transgender kids in Alabama is a felony as of May 8. Families with transgender children are figuring out how to support their kids and stay in Alabama if possible.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

A new law in Alabama, which goes into effect this weekend, makes it a felony to provide gender-affirming care for transgender minors³. As Kyra Miles, from member station WBHM reports, it's forcing some families to make tough choices.

KYRA MILES, BYLINE⁴: There's a special garden in the backyard of Erin Georgia's (ph) home in suburban⁵ Birmingham.

ERIN GEORGIA: I got a blackberry bush in here that has tons of blooms, so we're going to have Jay's (ph) jam this year, I think.

MILES: It's a memorial garden for her firstborn, Jay.

E GEORGIA: Unfortunately, our oldest child, Jay, died by suicide. It'll be five years next month.

MILES: Jay was transgender and died at the age of 13. When Jay came out, the family used the right pronouns, they got him new clothes. But Erin wasn't sure about hormone⁶ treatments.

E GEORGIA: Well, let's wait a while before we do any kind of hormone treatment. I thought, you're just a kid.

MILES: After Jay's death, her second child, Alex (ph), also came out as transgender and nonbinary. This time, Erin said yes to hormone treatment.

E GEORGIA: Then you look at my other child that's had those gender-affirming treatments, and it is night and day.

MILES: Alex was assigned female at birth but came out as trans in sixth grade. After years of monitoring by doctors and psychologists, they started hormone therapy.

ALEX GEORGIA: I've been on testosterone for 2 1/2 months now, and it's going great. I'm very excited.

(LAUGHTER)

ALEX: I mean, it's been nothing but positives.

MILES: But the shadow looming⁷ over Alex's excitement is a new law in Alabama that makes it illegal for Alex to receive those hormones⁸.

MORISSA LADINSKY: This law puts physicians in the space to have to choose between their Hippocratic oath to do no harm, to not risk a felony conviction.

MILES: Dr. Morissa Ladinsky co-leads the multidisciplinary gender health team at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospitals. She could face up to 10 years in prison. And she says if her clinic gets shut down...

LADINSKY: There is nowhere for an entire region of physicians to send their gender dysphoric youth.

MILES: Significant evidence shows that denying gender-affirming care does real harm. The LGBTQ advocacy group Trevor Project found 40% of transgender and nonbinary youth self-harm or seriously contemplate⁹ suicide. Still, Alabama politicians believe gender-affirming care for minors is child abuse. Governor Kay Ivey declined interview requests but in a public appearance said this law is defending Alabama values.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

KAY IVEY: If the good Lord makes you a boy when you were born, you're a boy.

KAITLIN WELBORN: So best-case scenario¹⁰, people move; worst-case scenario, children die.

MILES: Kaitlin Welborn is a staff attorney at the ACLU of Alabama. The civil rights group filed a lawsuit¹¹ to block the law, saying the state's ban on trans care violates equal protection and does irreparable harm.

WELBORN: They are risking federal funding. The legislature has known all of this. They're well aware of exactly how illegal this bill is, and they passed it anyway.

MILES: A judge will hear arguments in the case later this week.

ALEX: I got a really nice dress. I'm so excited. Oh, she's going to pull it out.

MILES: Back at their home, Erin Georgia is helping¹² 15-year-old Alex get ready for prom.

E GEORGIA: I've lost one son that died by suicide, and I have another thriving transgender child. Like, who would make my family suffer more after what we've been through?

MILES: Erin loves Alabama and wants to stay. But she says Alex will continue hormone treatments even if the law forces the family to move.

For NPR News, I'm Kyra Miles in Birmingham.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

MARTIN: If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Line at 1-800-273-8255.

1 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 minors   

n.未成年人( minor的名词复数 )；副修科目；小公司；[逻辑学]小前提v.[主美国英语]副修，选修，兼修( minor的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The law forbids shops to sell alcohol to minors. 法律禁止商店向未成年者出售含酒精的饮料。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He had three minors this semester. 这学期他有三门副修科目。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 suburban   

adj.城郊的，在郊区的

参考例句：

• Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
• There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。

6 hormone   

n.荷尔蒙，激素，内分泌

参考例句：

• Hormone implants are used as growth boosters.激素植入物被用作生长辅助剂。
• This hormone interacts closely with other hormones in the body.这种荷尔蒙与体內其他荷尔蒙紧密地相互作用。

7 looming   

n.上现蜃景（光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼）v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近

参考例句：

• The foothills were looming ahead through the haze. 丘陵地带透过薄雾朦胧地出现在眼前。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Then they looked up. Looming above them was Mount Proteome. 接着他们往上看，在其上隐约看到的是蛋白质组山。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 回顾与展望

8 hormones   

n. 荷尔蒙，激素 名词hormone的复数形式

参考例句：

• This hormone interacts closely with other hormones in the body. 这种荷尔蒙与体內其他荷尔蒙紧密地相互作用。
• The adrenals produce a large per cent of a man's sex hormones. 肾上腺分泌人体的大部分性激素。

9 contemplate   

vt.盘算，计议；周密考虑；注视，凝视

参考例句：

• The possibility of war is too horrifying to contemplate.战争的可能性太可怕了，真不堪细想。
• The consequences would be too ghastly to contemplate.后果不堪设想。

10 scenario   

n.剧本，脚本；概要

参考例句：

• But the birth scenario is not completely accurate.然而分娩脚本并非完全准确的。
• This is a totally different scenario.这是完全不同的剧本。

11 lawsuit   

n.诉讼，控诉

参考例句：

• They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
• He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。

12 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。