Mom fights back tears as she begs Texas lawmakers not to jail her for supporting her trans son

The mother of a transgender boy broke down in tears as a new bill set to be presented in the Texas legislature seeks to criminalize parents who support their transgender children. The bill seeks to classify parents who support their trans children as child abusers, and also remove the children from their custody. “I’m terrified to be here today,” Amber Briggle told the Texas Senate Committee on State Affairs at a hearing, reported LGBTQNation. “I’m afraid that by speaking here today that my words will be used against me should S.B. 1646 or S.B. 1311 pass, and my sweet son whom I love more than life itself will be taken from me.”

“When my son was four years old, he asked me if scientists could turn him into a boy,” said Briggle, before adding that she didn't fully comprehend what he meant at the time. “I only knew that he wasn’t like most girls his age and that something inside him was hurting.” She would later learn about trans youth and know that surgery is not performed on minors. Since accepting her son's identity and encouraging him to express himself, he's become a new person. “Today, my son is 13-years-old, the most popular boy in seventh grade, and loved by our friends, family, our church, and our community,” Briggle said. “This is possible because he has parents who affirm him and provide him with the support he needs.”

“Taking that support away from him, or worse, taking him away from his family because we broke the law to provide that support – will have devastating and heartbreaking consequences,” says Briggle as she fought back tears. The law would redefine child abuse to include “consenting to or assisting in the administering or supplying of, a puberty suppression prescription drug or cross-sex hormone to a child, other than an intersex child, for the purpose of gender transitioning or gender reassignment” or “performing or consenting to the performance of surgery or another medical procedure on a child, other than an intersex child, for the purpose of gender transitioning or gender reassignment.” This bill comes in spite of evidence that puberty blockers are reversible and have been found to help reduce suicidal thoughts for trans people. 

Even as Republicans push for the bill to be passed, Briggle told them that they would be responsible for child abuse. “If this bill becomes law, that, senators, is child abuse. And I promise I will call every single one of you every time a transgender child dies from suicide to remind you that their lives could have been saved, but you chose not to,” said Briggle. The Texas House is also holding hearings for two other anti-LGBTQ bills with one of them enabling health care professionals to turn away LGBTQ+ patients on the basis of their “ethical, moral, or religious beliefs."

Overwhelming evidence suggests trans kids who have the support of their loved ones enjoy better mental and physical health. The group Doctors For Change penned an open letter to the sponsors of the bill stating that it was in contradiction of medical research and standards of care. “The care provided to children and youth with gender dysphoria is tailored to their specific needs by a team of highly trained providers, including pediatricians, mental health specialists, endocrinologists, surgeons, and allies and supporters including parents and guardians,” read the letter. “Each provider plays a role in ensuring the health of the child based on established standards of care and the peer-reviewed medical literature.”

As we reported earlier, a ten-year-old girl made a stirring speech in front of the Texas Senate State Affairs Committee as she spoke out against the proposed law. “I do not like spending my free time asking adults to make good choices,” said Kai Shappley. “Texas legislators have been attacking me since Pre-K. I am in fourth grade now. It makes me sad that some politicians would use trans kids like me to get votes from people who hate just because I exist." She also called out lawmakers who invoked God to target trans kids like her. "God made me. God loves me for who I am, and God does not make mistakes," she added. 

If you're a transgender person being subjected to abuse or need any help, please reach out to TRANS LIFELINE at 877-330-6366.