San Antonio mother of trans teen worries SB14 will lead to more suicides

‘Why would you want to live in a society that tells you that you’re an abomination,’ Paige Davis says

SAN ANTONIO – Paige Davis makes it perfectly clear that she doesn’t want to speak for every parent of a trans youth, only from her own experience with her now 19-year-old son.

When he first told her, Davis said, “I was devastated. I thought it was the most horrible thing ever.”

Davis spoke in length about the evolution her family underwent during an appearance on a KSAT 12 newscast two years ago, in hopes of helping other families.

She had testified before the Texas Legislature warning about the potential consequences of anti-trans legislation.

But Davis said the problem was, “Belief is belief. Truth is truth. We have to separate those two.”

Now, Davis is speaking out following the passage of SB14, the Children’s Gender Protection Act, sponsored by State Sen. Donna Campbell, a New Braunfels physician.

After it’s signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott, the law will ban puberty blockers and hormone treatments for trans youth under the age of 18.

In a statement posted in full below, Campbell said, “Our children need counseling and love, not blades and drugs.”

However, Davis said instead of protecting children, she predicts the suicide rate among trans youth will go even higher.

As it is, Davis said her son who came out as trans when he was about 15, had been suicidal before he began his transition.

“Why would you want to live in a society that tells you that you’re an abomination and that you’re trash and not worth anything every single day of your life?” Davis asks.

She said thankfully, there are groups in San Antonio, such as Fiesta Youth, PFLAG and The Trevor Project that focus on the issues confronting trans youth and their families.

Following is Sen. Campbell’s full statement:

Our children need counseling and love, not blades and drugs. This bill is the compassionate solution to protect vulnerable children from these medically unnecessary and irreversible gender modification treatments. As a medical doctor, I am pleased that the Legislature has recognized the reality of the science of adolescent care and stepped in to protect young Texans.” “I am grateful to the House author of this bill and my fellow physician, Representative Tom Oliverson. He has been an indispensable partner throughout this process. My sincere thanks also go out to Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick for making my bill his priority during this session, as well as my Senate and House colleagues who have supported SB 14 and fought to protect Texas children. I look forward to this critically important legislation being signed by Governor Abbott very soon.


About the Authors:

Jessie Degollado has been with KSAT since 1984. She is a general assignments reporter who covers a wide variety of stories. Raised in Laredo and as an anchor/reporter at KRGV in the Rio Grande Valley, Jessie is especially familiar with border and immigration issues. In 2007, Jessie also was inducted into the San Antonio Women's Hall of Fame.