At six years old, I was squarely in the middle between two older cousins (both boys), two younger brothers, and a younger cousin—again, a boy. Naturally, I wanted to be like everyone else in the family. I had grown into a vivacious tomboy who did not believe in dresses, hairbrushes, or pink. My mother understood this and knew what I meant when I said I “wanted to be a boy.” She did the only thing she could do: let me to grow out of my phase. Which I did. Mostly.  

Back in 2006, wanting to be a boy was harmless enough. Trans children were few and far between, and nobody’s political program functionally entailed the elimination of tomboys. Nowadays, a girl like me living in California might expect state intervention. It’s not impossible to imagine myself getting a medical transition against my parents’ wishes. 

For parents in Montana, Indiana, and California, this horror has become reality. And soon the same nightmare may come for parents and children nationwide.