Worries about anti-trans legislation and desire to move among trans youth and their families

Background The U.S. has seen a rapid increase in state-level anti-trans legislation impacting trans youth’s ability to access gender-affirming medical care and play scholastic sports.Method Using a multi-method approach with quantitative and qualitative survey data from a sample of 230 families across the U.S. in 2023, we examined trans youth and their parents’ worries about the impact of anti-trans legislation and their interest in moving due to this legislation.Results Though the majority of participants lived in states that had not (yet) passed these laws, they still showed moderate levels of worry. Youth and parents’ levels of worry were positively correlated, though parents showed more worry than their children. Families’ worries about the impact of legislation and their state’s level of political conservatism were significantly associated with higher interest in moving due to anti-trans legislation. Common themes in open-ended responses included worry for the youth’s safety and distress about anti-trans rhetoric in public discourse. Many participants reported feeling safe in the present but worried about the future and concerned for other trans youth in the country. Despite some families’ interest in moving, they were prevented from doing so by logistical (e.g. financial) barriers or an attachment to their current community.Conclusion Together, these results demonstrate that even in families with considerable support for their trans youth, who predominantly lived in states where anti-trans laws had not been passed, families were quite worried about these laws, and some were considering moving, if and when that became necessary to protect their youth.