The Daily

When Texas Went After Transgender Care, Part 2

Apr 21, 2022

J. David Goodman, the Houston bureau chief for The New York Times, discusses the intense political battleground in Texas regarding transgender care. The conversation highlights a high-profile custody battle that has become emblematic of broader legislative conflicts over parental rights. Personal stories, like that of Grayson and his mother, reveal the emotional turmoil families face amidst these legislative pressures. Goodman addresses the implications of proposed restrictions on gender-affirming treatments, emphasizing the vulnerability of transgender youth and the impact of political decisions on healthcare.

34:13

Creator website

Episode guests

J. David Goodman

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Episode notes

Intro

2min

Parental Rights and Transgender Care in Texas

9min

Transgender Care Legislation Pushback in Texas

4min

Political Pressure on Transgender Healthcare

11min

Navigating Parental Decisions in Transgender Care

3min

Debating Parental Rights and Transgender Care in Texas

5min

Cultural Shifts: Understanding Trends Through Hair and Identity

2min

Russia's Missile Warning: Implications for Western Nations

2min

In Texas, a heated political battle is taking place over care provided to young transgender people, with Gov. Greg Abbott taking a leading role.

The story of this confrontation began, improbably, with the contentious divorce of a suburban couple from Dallas, and a nasty custody battle over their daughter.

We look at how a domestic dispute precipitated one of the fiercest political clashes in the country, and return to yesterday’s story about a trans teenager, Grayson, and his mother to explore the impact of this clash.

Guests: J. David Goodman, The New York Times’s Houston bureau chief, covering Texas; and Azeen Ghorayshi, a reporter covering the intersection between sex, gender and science for The Times.

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Background reading:

How a custody battle in the Dallas suburbs amplified a growing conservative cause and helped fuel a move to treat transgender medicine as abuse.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

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