 So this is a documentary from vice news And it essentially follows Families with trans children who are forced to flee in particular the state of Texas because of the laws So let's go ahead and watch tell me when you guys are ready one two three All right, how we doing are we letting up? No Yeah, we went through everything and I told the kids to keep what they thought wasn't replaceable Or that they would need in the next two weeks and replace your bath towels, but you can't replace your kids We are gonna go right past a dolly would wish we had time to go We don't We did not have a plan until last night There's only three states that are safe for trans kids and their families in the United States Three, I know people think that there are more because there's liberal states But we need one of the states that actually has policies laws in place saying that they won't extradite Parents of trans kids When states like Texas come after us even after we've moved Families with transgender children are dealing with a lot They face constant attacks by right-wing misinformation in an ending stream of anti-trans bills and even death threats Did you get all this out here Caleb? Thank you And now some are having to make a life-changing decision Should they stay where they are where their work family school and life is and risk their child's health and safety Or should they flee? We spent time with three families in Texas in Arizona Two states with some of the harshest anti-trans legislation as they weigh this heartbreaking decision I started noticing the gender just for everyone. I was really able to play with toys It was really from the time she could talk. She was like saying things like I'm a girl or when I grow up I'll Be a princess and I'll have long hair like Rapunzel. We used to say like your boy, but you can like grow things That's okay. She was just always telling us who she was How did you learn to make friendship bracelets? So I first learned when I was Six and I went to the day camp and my counter taught me how'd you choose these colors? It's just the trans colors. So I was like, okay, let's do that. How am I doing here? Really good actually What's like making you happy these days? I don't know I have a few friends and they're nice and I don't know. I like swim. It kind of helps me I'm sad. I just go to swim and I feel better Coming to understand that our child was transgender was not something that happened overnight This was years of therapy and it was a very long process. She was like a very anxious Depressed weepy Child she would lick her lips till they were raw. She used to bite her nails till they bled and then once she was able to Transition it was like the lights which got inside of her. It's tansly me. It was It was like the first time we saw real joy in our child And this this is the same story that we keep hearing from parents with trans kids at first They resisted it. They tried to you know hide it get their kid to Identifies the gender that they didn't feel comfortable with but they always realized that once you let them Transition and at this age like we're talking about just social transition, right? That switch goes off to where they go from being this really sad depressed kid to just being so happy and that this is What Republicans want to take away? They want this kid right here to be miserable. They see this little girl And they think nope She needs to be what we say she should be we should control the way that she expresses herself It's genuinely so disgusting and psychotic when Daniel was really small He would say that he wanted to be Astro boy or a Latin like the He went deep in his voice the characters he identified with were all male when he went to kindergarten That was really difficult because school became very gendered for him he would come home and cry and Say he was afraid to die and we were like why would that happen I? Thought I was like progressive and hip I was like girls can do anything and he was like but what if I don't want to be a girl and I just didn't get it Right. I wasn't listening We're just kids. We're often reduced to just body parts. We have so many other parts of ourselves and a lot of Representatives and don't don't get that and how does that feel when you see the debate like going in that direction? I mean I just get Naturally just get grossed out. Yeah, totally Cuz I feel like These are we're just all human beings and these are other human beings debating on whether or not mind and existence should be Normalized or cared for Daniel's home state of Arizona already bans trans kids from playing sports and getting gender-affirming surgery State representatives have also tried to outlaw all gender-affirming care Which doctors say can be life-saving for trans youth Those anti-trans representatives saying that they want to outlaw gender-affirming care for youth like what goes through your mind? I get really freaked out. They want to like arrest parents or Like pediatricians with it or like people that are helping and I just think like okay Well, I don't want my parents to get arrested at all And especially because I'm like the kind of person where like if my mom doesn't answer the call I'm like, okay, why do I tell the police that she's missing? You know, but like this is it's not like just deposit This is not something that children should be focusing on like I identify with this because one thing that really worried me And I wasn't a teenager but when I came out in my young 20s or early 20s I was worried that like if my mom accepted me But my dad rejected me that I would lead to them getting a divorce or something like that Like this this should never be something that young people have to be concerned with and I was a young adult at the time I was in my early 20s, but this is a teenager who's sitting here worried Oh my god is my mom gonna go to jail and then you think about how many kids are gonna blame themselves If their parents get into trouble, it's just it's catastrophic and Republicans They know what they're doing like in this state of Arizona with a Ban on trans athletes in school sports usually that just applies to trans girls But NPR, I believe did a study recently and they found that a majority of the Republicans who sponsor these bills Can't even cite a single example of a trans athlete causing problems in their school So this is literally just about hate They just want to attack this community because they think that there's some political Advantage to be gained and it's genuinely nauseating In February things changed drastically in Texas when Governor Greg Abbott directed the state's Child Protective Services Agency To investigate families who support their children's gender-firming care for quote child abuse Texas law requires every adult to report these families from doctors to neighbors or risk criminal penalties It's ridiculous. I live in America and I'm having to make an escape plan I'm having to ask people if I can send my kid to go live with people To put her somewhere safe until I can get there and get my life squared away just in case I have to I mean that what she says right there. I live in America and I'm having to make an escape plan Don't ever let these Republicans tell you that they believe in freedom Because they do not believe in freedom what they're doing here. This is Orwellian. It's dystopian. It is fascistic and They're just they're so sick like this is one of the lowest things that Republicans have ever done to go after children Like attacking the LGBTQ plus community collectively speaking in and of itself is very evil, but they've been targeting children lately That like to target the most innocent of our population There's just there's no coming back from that like it's just pure evil Is the door-dash person gonna recognize our name are they an all-right extremist? You know as my neighbor who's very pleasant to talk to you gonna decide that it's their job to mandatory report because Texas Every Texas citizen is a mandatory reporter here. It's wow What if they arrested mom? What if they took me somewhere? What if they forced me to be somebody who I wasn't? I always have these thoughts moving through my head like what if this happens? Should I do this should I jump out the window? And like Republicans want to make that little girl Dressed like a boy they want to call her a boy's name force her to be Who she doesn't want to be kids? No kids. No, and it's not like like it's that for one of the first families explained You know, it took years of therapy before they let their daughter transition um, you know, they're not just like Hearing their kids say hey, I'm trans and then next Tuesday they go out and they get bottom surgery That's not happening and so much of the transphobia would be cleared up If people just educating educated themselves like people think it's so easy in this country to get bottom surgery for children Who are trans first of all that can't happen until you're 18 But even trans adults can't get bottom surgery because news flash We don't have a universal health care system. We have a fucked up health care system That's for profit and in order to get any Procedure you have to have very good insurance and sometimes you still have to pay sometimes you have a high deductible. It's just so ridiculous When that came out, I Got that call from Lisa about cps. I was in my office and I started crying as I close the door You know it Scared me So sad because I wasn't sure if we were going to lose Maya I'm not sure if it's something that happened, you know with us I went straight. He's worried about losing his kid because he took his kid to the doctor And the doctor said this is the best thing to help your kid and they demonstrably saw How transitioning helped their kid and for taking the doctor's advice He has to worry about losing his kid because republicans thought it was a good idea To make this a wedge issue I just I can't express. There are not enough words to express how loathsome the republican party is especially in states like texas and florida down to the thinking of the worst Maya was real scared right away. There was a lot of questions of Are they going to take me away from you? unreal What's gonna happen? And that's and that's when That anxiety you see it in her Just come back We started looking at her lips started biting her nails It it was all over again. We hadn't seen that in seven years How do you feel like you're currently being affected by the The state of texas. Well, they really don't care if I kill myself and like They don't care if I No, they don't care if I can't play sports. They don't care if my parents get arrested for supporting me like I feel really sad about it like Okay, just the fact that the thought of killing herself is even on her mind I mean This just goes to show you how these types of stories affect trans children She hasn't been taken away from her parents But the fear was instilled on her because of the state And this was not a democratic decision. This is something that the governor did unilaterally So just like hearing the news that you are public enemy number one is Enough to make these kids feel extremely stressed out Mentally draining The decision that our family faces right now Um Is one that no family should have to consider we shouldn't have to Feel that we're being pushed out of the state. We live in we are now at a point where If things don't change, we will probably Have to leave this state Florida, texas and arizona mirror and mimic each other. So watching what was happening in texas Was terrifying We have all of our family and friends here. We have a beautiful community that we are part of Daniel would lose more than he would gain if we left this state Because my grandparents are holocaust survivors because my grandfather fought in the resistance My grandmother survived Auschwitz that language of calling on everyday citizens and mandated reporters to report Families with trans youth to the authorities felt eerily reminiscent of That directive from the nazis to report Jewish families to the authorities. This is This is white christian nationalism. This is fascism. Yep 1 000 where we're both ranchers in mexico and During the 60s and so I came here when I was nine years old There was always talks about if you get in trouble Immigration can come and and take you and not only that It's going to create all kinds of other problems for the family So so the there was this the stress that not only would I hurt myself But I would hurt the entire family We already understood what bias in the world feels like we know what it's like to navigate to code switch But it's not normal for us as americans To be saying that we need to seek refuge and sanctuary in other states This is tough. It's just Think about what we're gonna have to do think about leaving everybody leaving our home friends family Start a whole new life It just feels overwhelming. Yeah It makes me sad because I've already built built friendships And I family here and I sometimes I'll just have dreams like like My parents were being taken away from me because I was trans and then I had to go to a foster care And I had to move all the way to illinois if someone tried to take you away from me I would not let that happen. I will do anything to keep you safe and with us and happy I love you I think the thing that I am most worried about is will I wait too long? Will I not know When it's time to cut my losses and just flee For the chaplies that decision came in july Seeing the anti-trans threats building over the summer kimberley started packing before she'd even found a place to live I We just Passed arkansas and we're in tennessee now. We're in kentucky. We're almost in ohio She drove two and a half days straight to connecticut hitting just a few truck stops for gas snacks and naps We're back in the car four hours 29 minutes away from Where we're heading The night before we left texas that was the first time I ever really saw Kai just sobbing It was just something triggered her she started thinking about our chickens and What we were leaving I promise I promise they would have a good home with me The truth is it would be Devastate financially devastating for us to move. It's not just the loss and income. It's cost of living because the states with which Have broad protections in place and where we would be safe Are you know more expensive There are currently only three states that protect families of trans kids from extradition Connecticut massachusetts in california just last month dc also passed protections These are parts of the country though where the cost of living is up to 40 higher than the national average And that's on top of the cost of starting over We're starting from scratch beds pillows cover sheets towels blankets measuring cups coffee We should not leave here without having a way to make coffee in the morning When I saw the relief from her when we got out and the relief from kaleb A gigantic 100,000 pound weight lifted off my back Like they have been through So much the GOP has done so much damage to my family mental emotional damage Rent a new place It's not going to be a long season, but it's going to be a season of rest and renewal for us I've been sleeping with my mom because I've been so terrified I hope that I can sleep in my own bed calmly and peacefully I've been having all these nightmares and i'm hoping that Maybe since we're in a new place I can start fresh I can want so sad things to change in texas But still realize when it's no longer safe for us to work behind enemy lines We need to get some things right or I don't see any place in the u.s. Being The safe haven that people Think they're gonna have in their blue bubbles Are you seriously considering going there? Yes, I've already spoken to an immigration attorney and trying to Get things together in the event that we have to To leave which is very close. It's it's very close. You can feel it I think people need to wake up and help the lgbtq community It's almost too late We have some big news. It's almost too late for governor and governor greg abbott with 55 percent support He has been declared the winner Lots of texts and messages Good morning, buddy. I hope you're doing okay this morning I'm thinking about you No matter what happens you and I will always stay tight regardless of where you live It's not just our people. It has to lose out After the results came in we were talking to maya and You know, she said I want to move. I want to be in a state that They don't have to fight For my rights to be myself very sad We have to do what we have to do for for the family and we have to Car losses and move to state that cares about us Most importantly a state where maya will feel safe. She deserves to be a kid and she deserves to feel safe And she doesn't feel that way here anymore. So It's time to go It's wild to wake up and realize that in This day and age were essentially political refugees In arizona Democrats won big in the midterms a win for the true heroes who are staying put for now This idea of like states rights versus federal protections Like we should be weary of what that actually means because that has been used to Marginalize people since the beginning of this country We've seen this over and over and over again in american history. Like if you don't assimilate To white christian ideology, then we will punish you. We saw this with indigenous people We saw this with enslaved people. We saw this with migrant youth on the border and that is terrifying I refuse to to to live I refuse to To be put in a in a position Where I get I get pushed out of society all over again Our families already came from another country to build a better life here And we should not be uprooted from our homes We're willing to put everything in the line Every everything in the line everyone should be worried Everyone should be worried because if they're doing this to us Who will they do it to next exactly? Comments are turned off and the reason why the comments are turned off is because the last time they did a video following Kai which is one of the little girls that we saw here Um, it got like disliked bombed People are so hateful that even when you hear their stories and you see what's at stake Um People still are just like I don't give a fuck. This is grooming. This is bad um, so that's where we're at and and the thing that stuck out to me is that um It could be too late like it's time to stand up for lgbtq plus rights If it's not already too late, that's such a huge Thing to think about because I mean think of how far we've gone when you're investigating Families with trans kids and they're literally forced to flee That's when I feel like you've crossed the rubicon right and that lady made a great point about state's rights like state's rights to do What terrorize these children and turn these families into political refugees It's just insane and one thing that I want to say is that somebody made the point Of um, I don't know who said it in chat, but basically it's good to know that these kids at least have loving families That's a really great point because without them it'd be so much worse Like imagine if you didn't have supportive parents and you only had one supportive parent um That would be so much more difficult, but because These parents have given their children their unconditional support I think these kids are going to be okay at the end, but for right now They're under attack and it's just it's it's morally reprehensible. So yeah, these republicans are sick And it doesn't matter like if you show that documentary To somebody like I don't know a steven crowder viewer for example They just don't care. They don't care even though they know that these laws Terrorized children literally give these little girls nightmares. They don't care. They've decided that these little kids killing themselves Is preferable to allowing trans people to exist. That's where we're at in the united states Like this is genocide that we're seeing and People aren't going to wake up to it until it's too late. So if you're if you're not trans Then you might just brush this aside Um, but as one of the parents said they're like, okay, they're going after trans people Exclusively now, but what happens when they go after a different community your community someone you love So this is why there needs to be solidarity with people across the board because I mean if you don't have solidarity things like this can happen