'This is life or death.' Trans Texans, families worried as lawmakers target gender-affirming care
The Texas flag flies over the Texas Capitol in Austin, Texas, where Republicans are pushing a wave of bills aimed at banning gender-affirming care for minors. - Tom Fox/The Dallas Morning News/The Dallas Morning News/TNS

Aaron Richie said when his son, Landon, came out as transgender, what scared him the most was the thought of a medical transition. After seeing Landon’s daily struggles with his body and consulting psychiatrists and pediatricians, Richie decided to help his then 13-year-old son begin the process of transitioning. “I thought to myself, ‘Why am I going to make him do this five more years?’” Richie said. “So that I feel better so that my parents feel better, so that when I tell other people they are not freaked out? It just became an indefensible position that this has to wait until 18.” Now, he ...