Transgender youth in Texas are important parts of our families, schools, and future. Just like their cisgender counterparts, they deserve support and care. Yet waves of recent legislation are targeting young LGBTQ+ people at a national and state level. Meanwhile, public health guidance is clear: discrimination and social rejection are linked with worse health outcomes for queer youth, while supportive environments serve as important protective factors for wellbeing.
Supporting LGBTQ+ Youth: A Public Health Priority
Transgender and questioning students report higher rates of bullying, violence, and poor mental health compared to their cisgender peers. They also report lower levels of school connectedness (a major protective factor).
For youth with multiple marginalized identities, discrimination and its adverse impacts compound. The Tevor Project’s 2024 report on Discrimination Among Black LGBTQ+ Young People and Suicide Risk provides much needed data on this topic. It found that “multiple types of discrimination were associated with an increased odds of suicide attempts, especially among Black transgender, nonbinary, and questioning young people.”
Equality Texas provides a mental health toolkit for parents and caretakers of queer youth, with an emphasis on the fact that LGBTQ+ youth have better outcomes when caregivers are affirming and supportive.
What Gender Affirming Care Looks Like
In healthcare and social settings, gender affirming care serves as an umbrella term that can include:
- Social support (using affirming names/pronouns, supporting gender presentation through clothing and hair, providing identity-affirming environments and legal documents)
- Mental health support (affirming therapy, supportive home environment, treating anxiety/depression related to gender dysphoria and discrimination)
- Medical care (guided by multidisciplinary assessment and clinical standards, can include puberty blockers, HRT, or surgery)
Major medical organizations have published clinical guidance and policy statements emphasizing the importance of gender affirming care for transgender and gender-diverse youth. For minors specifically, clinical recommendations highlight the need for multidisciplinary, comprehensive care teams with education in transgender healthcare.
The Political Landscape In Texas: 2025 Legislative Update
In Texas, families must navigate a landscape where affirming care – especially medical treatments – are legally restricted for minors, while the need for mental health support, social support, and community protection is greater than ever.
2023’s Senate Bill 14 prohibits Texas physicians and other licensed medical professionals from providing specified gender affirming medical care (including top surgery, puberty blockers, and hormone therapy) to patients under 18. The Texas Supreme Court upheld the ban in 2024.
Additional laws passed in the 2025 Texas Legislative Session increased pressure on marginalized youth and the adults who support them. Most notably: Senate Bill 12 prohibits programs and discussions relating to race, gender identity, and sexual orientation in K-12 schools. Real impacts include bans on Black, Latine, Asian, and Indigenous history celebrations and Genders & Sexualities Alliances clubs. Key aspects of SB 12 are currently under a preliminary federal injunction.
Most recently, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against a North Texas children’s hospital and physician in February 2026. The suit alleges the two violated SB14 and improperly billed Medicaid/CHIP.
The ripple effects of anti-LGBTQ+ laws have real impacts on wellbeing: reduced school connectedness, fewer trusted adults, more fear about being outed, and fewer safe places to ask for help. These impacts multiply for students with multiple marginalized identities, especially when bills like SB12 discriminate beyond gender and sexuality.
Practical Ways To Show Up
Be A “Protective Factor” In A Young Person’s Life
Small, consistent behaviors can be lifesaving – especially when they increase belonging and reduce isolation.
- Use the young person’s chosen name and pronouns (and briefly correct yourself if you mess up)
- Help them identify safe adults (in their family, at school, in the community)
- Ask what support looks like to them (don’t assume what they need)
- Protect routines that support mental health: sleep, movement, meals, and connection
Supportive Families Change Outcomes
Family support is consistently linked with better mental health outcomes for LGBTQ+ youth. If you’re a caregiver, your support matters more than you may realize. If you’re a friend or relative, you can help caregivers build confidence and skills.
- Offer help when it comes to everyday care (rides, meals, extracurricular activities)
- Share credible resources about the LGBTQ+ community and healthcare
- Encourage caregivers and young people to connect with affirming professional care (including support groups, medical providers, and mental health specialists)
How Texas Communities Support Trans Youth
Support happens every day across Texas – through nonprofit work, advocacy organizations, chosen family networks, schools (often quietly), and families who refuse to let their kids be isolated.
Local organizations like OutYouth provide Central Texas LGBTQIA+ youth and young adults with supportive programming and safe community spaces.
Statewide organizations like TENT (Transgender Education Network of Texas) provide education, advocacy, and mobilization to reduce discrimination and improve safety for trans Texans.
And advocacy groups like Equality Texas track bills, help Texans understand what’s moving through the legislature, and take political action for LGBTQ+ equality.
Just as importantly, families are building “micro-systems” of safety: trusted adults, affirming clinicians when available, support groups, and routines that protect mental health.
How OutWellness Supports Trans Youth
Transgender youth need more than theoretical acceptance. They need access to safe movement spaces, trusted adults, affirming community, and practical resources that reduce isolation. As an affirming wellness space for queer and trans people of all ages, we can help get you started:
- Visit our Resource Hub for community-forward guidance and support
- Explore our Classes & Events for low cost ways to build community and routine – our weekly trans masc and trans femme workouts are free and open to all ages
- Learn about Our Services if you’re seeking affirming, one-on-one care for yourself or a loved one
- When you’re ready, schedule with us
Conclusion: Support Is A Practice, Not A Statement
Supporting transgender youth through concrete action is essential when LGBTQ+ rights in schools and healthcare are under attack.
Choose credibility over fear. Provide safety, consistency, community, and advocacy. And don’t let any young person believe they’re alone.
