Families in the South had just learned to navigate care for their transgender kids when a slew of new laws put their health and futures in limbo

As bans on gender-affirming care for trans youth are signed into law across the country, families like Chrissie and Daniel’s are facing new and constantly changing obstacles to accessing vital health care. Twenty-one states have enacted laws that restrict care, and the highest concentration of these bills are where Chrissie and Daniel live, in the South. In this region alone, more than two thirds of states have an active ban as of Jan. 1, creating a sprawling landmass — more than 1.1 million square miles, larger than the entire country of Mexico — that families have to get through in order for their kids to access care.