Not My Story
- mindfulmotionsdall
- Jul 26
- 6 min read
Not My Story to Tell – A Voice for Ethan
by Kristin Cambron Steele @mindfulmotionsyoga
Identifying details have been changed to protect the privacy of ethan and his family.
This is not my story to tell. It is Ethan's—a creative, gentle, and kind transgender boy growing up in the South. Ethan's story has been hijacked. His life is not currently his own; it has been stolen and decided for him, and his personal choices are overridden by government overreach. Ethan's loving, patient, and informed parents have done everything right. They worked with a team of doctors, psychologists, and counselors. They followed best medical practices and recommendations.
Ethan had been approved to begin puberty blockers. His implant was scheduled. This medical intervention was not about rushing him into life-altering changes. Quite the opposite—it was a pause button. A chance to grow and explore, without the pressure of a body changing in ways that do not align with his identity.
I have watched Ethan blossom as he was freed from forced gender stereotypes and allowed to express himself—in his clothing, activities, and presence in the world—as he was meant to. Entering puberty now would potentially reverse all of the progress he has made.
Like all medical treatments, puberty blockers come with potential side effects. One of those is decreased bone density. However, Ethan's parents were prepared: he would begin strength training and take vitamin D and calcium supplements—common-sense steps advised by medical professionals.
Put this in perspective: caffeine also reduces bone density in children. However, lawmakers are not banning soda or energy drinks. We are flooded with advertising selling these harmful products to children every day. This is not about safety. This is not about medicine.
This is about control.
Just a few months ago, Ethan's puberty blocker was finally approved. It had taken nearly a year—countless forms, referrals, and waiting. I rejoiced with his mother at each milestone, and held my breath with them in between. Then, just weeks before the scheduled treatment, the facility called. The appointment was canceled. They explained they could no longer proceed with his care due to a newly passed ban.
Shortly after, the insurance company followed suit. Despite having previously approved the treatment, they reversed their decision and now deny the claim.
https://www.uhcprovider.com/content/dam/provider/docs/public/policies/medicaid-comm-plan/gender-dysphoria-treatment-cs.pdf
As a parent, I know that watching your child suffer is almost unbearable. Some suffering is part of growth. However, some suffering is unnecessary, preventable, and treatable. To deny your child care when they are suffering is not love, and it is undoubtedly not protection. It is the abuse. To watch the child of someone you love suffer, while being stripped of the care they need—that is a different kind of heartbreak entirely.
👮♂️ CPS and the Myth of "Abuse"
Let me say this clearly: this care is the opposite of abuse.
It is a challenging, painful, and often grueling journey that only the most loving, dedicated, and selfless parents would choose to walk. It is a path marked by judgment, fear, compassion, strength, and relentless advocacy.
Over the past ten years, I have witnessed Ethan's parents live this path. They were overwhelmed at first—scared, uncertain, and exhausted. However, they found their footing with education, guidance, and unwavering love for their child. Today, they stand confident in their decisions and Ethan's right to live authentically.
This is not reckless parenting. It is extraordinary parenting. It is thoughtful, deeply informed, and backed by decades of scientific research. Despite the loud rhetoric trying to mislead the uninvolved and the unaffected, this path is supported by the overwhelming consensus of the medical and psychological communities.
This is his choice, his life, and the courageous parenting behind it deserves to be honored—not criminalized.
⚠️ If This Offends You, Ask Yourself Why
If you oppose gender-affirming care (despite overwhelming medical evidence that it is the best treatment for youth with gender dysphoria), you are not just disagreeing with an opinion. You are aligning yourself with a government that is seizing the rights of parents and doctors to make informed healthcare decisions.
Are some of the people backing these bans the same people who refused the COVID vaccine and demanded bodily autonomy?
Remember how angry you were when faced with mandates or job loss? You fought for the right to choose. Moreover, while I supported vaccination and masking, I still defended your right to make medical decisions. I spoke out when nurses were fired for refusing the vaccine. I disagreed with their choices but supported their freedom to make them.
So why does that freedom not apply to Ethan and his parents?
You do not get to claim to be "pro-freedom" and then support laws that threaten families with investigations or criminal charges for giving their children care backed by science and compassion.
That is not freedom.
That is hypocrisy.
Ask yourself: Have you done the same amount of research about care for transgender individuals? Do you know as much as his parents and his doctors? Are you truly qualified to make a medical decision on his behalf?
By supporting these bans, you effectively say you know as much as Ethan, his parents, and his medical team. If you believe you know enough to override them, you lie to yourself and the universe. If you ignore this, if you stay silent, you are responsible for the consequences of what happens to every child denied the healthcare their families have prepared for, saved for, planned for, and deserve.
👨👩⚕️ Who Makes Medical Decisions for Children?
Not politicians.
Not religious leaders.
Not strangers on the internet.
Medical decisions are made by patients, doctors, and—in the case of minors—their parents.
Doctors take an oath to "do no harm." They work with counselors and specialists in evidence-based care. Gender-affirming care is not new or radical—it is cautious, deliberate, and thoroughly studied. Like any treatment, it comes with risks and benefits. However, the only people qualified to weigh those are families and their medical teams—not lawmakers with political agendas.
🧭 If the Government Can Take This Right—What Is Next?
Let me be very clear: if you support banning this care for someone else's child, you are opening the door for the government to make healthcare decisions for your child, too.
Today, it is puberty blockers. Tomorrow it could be birth control, therapy, vaccines, or treatments you support. It could even be your right to provide your child with private religious education?
This is not just about Ethan. This is about every parent's right to guide their child's journey.
📣 Speak Now or Stay Silent Later
Ethan's story—and thousands like his—is unfolding across the United States, especially in Southern states. Laws are being passed that:
Ban medically approved care for trans youth
Involve Child Protective Services in families who follow doctor recommendations
Force families to leave their homes, their jobs, and their communities
This is not healthcare policy.
It is cruelty disguised as legislation.
💡 So What Can You Do?
Educate yourself
Vote accordingly
Support families like Ethan's
You do not have to agree with gender-affirming care to oppose these laws. You only need to agree that you do not know enough about someone else's health to decide on their behalf. Medical choices are private and personal—and must be made between doctors, patients, and in the case of minors, with their parents.
Support evidence-based care. Support the right to bodily autonomy. Support parents making hard decisions with love, not fear.
🧘♀️ Final Thoughts
Ethan has been living as a boy for five years. His friends, classmates, and teachers know him as a boy. His clinic and insurance provider had approved his treatment. However, after political pressure and threats from the Trump administration, his appointments were canceled, and United Health Care denied the previously approved puberty blockers.
He now faces the irreversible trauma of developing female characteristics, something he adamantly opposes and which could cause severe emotional harm. His parents have been forced to pay out of pocket for care they have already been paying insurance premiums to cover—premiums shared by millions of us.
This is discrimination, plain and simple. It is a direct violation of the Affordable Care Act. Moreover, it is happening to real families right now.
💔 Closing Words
At our yoga studio, we teach presence, compassion, autonomy, and truth. We teach non-harming—ahimsa—as a foundational principle. We hold space for growth, identity, and the wholeness of every human being.
Standing up for Ethan is not political.
It is ethical.
It is spiritual.
It is an extension of our practice off the mat.
Because yoga is not just poses and breathwork—it is about showing up for one another, especially when it is uncomfortable, especially when someone is suffering.
So we speak.
We stand.
We hold space—for Ethan, for his family, and for every child being told by their government that they are less worthy of care.
This may not be my story to tell.
However, it is my voice to lend.
Moreover, I must live my practice—on and off the mat—with love, courage, and unwavering truth.
It is not my story, but, as a Mother and friend, I have seen enough to know I cannot stay silent. Parents are scared, children are suffering—and if that does not move you to Action, what will?
✅ Take Action:
ACLU – Trans Justice Campaign
The Trevor Project
Campaign for Southern Equality
PFLAG
Common Cause – Contact Your Representatives
Namaste,
Kristin
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