Transgender man released from foster care in Texas says politicians vilify LGBTQ+ children

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After Kayden Asher came out as transgender to his family and his small Gulf Coast community, the rejection sent him into a spiral of psychological episodes that landed him in the care of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.

During his years in foster care, Asher moved between nearly ten different locations, including psychiatric hospitals, residential treatment centers and nursing homes.

[Texas politics leave transgender foster youth isolated — during and after life in state care]

At the same time, Texas politicians increased their efforts to regulate the lives of transgender youth, banning gender-affirming care for transgender children — such as the hormone therapy Asher received while in foster care.

Since leaving state custody, Asher has pursued a paralegal degree at Austin Community College in hopes of eventually working with queer foster youth, who he says are increasingly isolated by state policies. But as the political climate has increased hostility toward transgender people, Asher fears hostility in his home state will force him to leave Texas.

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