Nico Langs book “American Teenager“ looks at the lives of eight trans teens across America. The story of Jack‚ a 15-year-old from Florida who started using her moms clothes shows how some kids face big problems. Jack began estrogen therapy but Floridaʼs new rules stopped her treatment – this was against what her doctor parent and Jack wanted.
Jack got very sad after this (which is common for trans kids). Her mom June was scared Jack might not make it through the night. They couldnt move away because they didnt have money.
The book shows how different it is for trans kids in various states. Clint from Illinois wants to study trees‚ while Ruby from Texas has to leave her state even though shes in love. Ruby knows she “has no future in Texas no way forward“
Laws about trans healthcare for young people changed fast. About 4 years ago‚ no states banned it; now 26 do. In early 2020 South Dakota didnt pass such a law‚ but in 2023 they did with a big vote (30 to 4).
Many young queer people try to hurt themselves – more than 1 in 10 in the past year. Most say politics affects how they feel. Some politicians like JD Vance want to stop all trans care for kids calling it an “experiment“
The writer Casey Plett who used to be a trans teen says the book is good but sometimes doesnt go deep enough. The writing can be a bit dramatic‚ using phrases like “gender journey“ a lot.
Jack who is now 19 feels very pessimistic. She said‚ “I feel like too much optimism has plagued so much of my life‚ Id just rather not think about a future or a past“. The effects of these new laws are just starting to show