LGBTQ+ groups are bracing for expected fallout after President Donald Trump recently announced April as Child Abuse Awareness Month, but also used it to take aim at gender-affirming care.
April has traditionally held the designation, but he has added the claim that “one of the most prevalent forms of child abuse facing our country today is the sinister threat of gender ideology.”
While the statements don’t roll out any new legislation, they reaffirm sentiments from Executive Order 14187 that Trump signed earlier this year, which removes funding from organizations that assist with gender-affirming care.
Holly Park, whose son is transgender, says children, including those transitioning, need support through their life journey.
“Child abuse is not being a supportive parent, first of all," she said. "And the process that parents and youth have to go through in order to even be able to get treatment and care is like, you know, you don't just go in and get treatment.”
Park is founder of Rainbow Collective of Western New York and is concerned fewer children will want to talk when they are questioning gender norms.
“I feel that kids are going to be less likely to be able to share if they are questioning," she said. "Any kid that's looking for help might be less likely to do so now because they are scared.”
Coming out is already challenging in rural areas, where there often are fewer members of the trans community, said GLOW OUT! Executive Director Sara Vacin.
“I'm sure people in urban settings feel it, but there's just protection through the representation," she said. "You know, with a beautiful trans woman, the beginning stages of transitioning in a small town stands out and really faces a lot of challenges.”
Safety is one of those particular challenges that transgender people can face, regardless of age or how far into transitioning they are, Vacin said.
“I don't know that a cisgender person understands how important it is to pass and how confusing these questions are, and how it really does come down to safety," she said. "I actually, had a wonderful, amazing discussion with a black trans woman who lives locally, and I just take my safety for granted so much because every other every other sentence was about survival.”
The possibility of losing funding increases emphasis on community support, Vacin said.
