Families of transgender youth in Tennessee face health-care challenges

WUOT | By Riley Thompson,

Published May 3, 2023 at 11:05 AM EDT

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee's ban on care to treat gender dysphoria in transgender youth is set to go into effect July 1. One attorney representing three families and a Memphis doctor argues that the ban discriminates on the basis of sex and gender identity, since the treatments remain available to non-transgender people. Some affected families say they're considering leaving the state.

Riley Thompson

Riley was born in Wisconsin before moving to Tennessee at a young age to live in Nashville. She is a recent graduate from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, where she graduated with a Magna Cum Laude degree in Journalism and Electronic Media. Riley started at WUOT as a news intern in 2021 before working with donor relations and becoming the weekend announcer.

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Jacqui Sieber

Jacqui was born and raised in Pittsburgh. She graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 2021 with a bachelor’s in communications. Outside of work, she likes to go to baseball games, walk dogs at her local animal shelter, and hike.

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