The mother of a transgender child in Texas says she lives in a near-constant panic attack

Courtesy: Ann Elder

Listening to a recent conversation on Houston Matters gave Ann Elder a panic attack. That’s because she’s the mother of a transgender child who fully transitioned at the age of 7 and is now 16.

The conversation was about the authority Child Protective Services has in Texas over the families the state's child welfare agency investigates. The discussion was prompted by Gov. Greg Abbott's recently blocked directive to CPS to investigate parents providing gender-affirming care for their kids as child abuse.

While a judge halted such investigations — for now — we discussed how the child welfare agency once such investigations are under way has broad authority to delve into a variety of aspects of a family's life.

Hearing all that triggered Elder’s anxiety and spurred her to contact Houston Matters with her story. So, we invited her to come talk about her experience.

In the audio above, she tells producer Michael Hagerty about the long process of determining her child was transgender, about finding a way to afford expensive medications, about the fallout in her extended family, and what it is like to be a political football in Texas.