We Were Trans Kids Once Too: A Message of Truth, Pain, and Unyielding Hope

By Reverend Paula Josephine Sadler, Universal Rainbow Faith Church

What many people fail to understand is this: transgender adults were once transgender children—many of whom were forced to navigate life without access to proper medical care, mental health support, or safe spaces. Some of us made it through. Others did not. And many of us still carry the scars of those who didn’t.

The recent Supreme Court decision to uphold Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors is not just a legal ruling—it is a devastating moral failure. It sends a chilling message to trans youth: your pain is not real, your identity is not valid, and your future does not matter. But it does. We know it does—because we've lived it.

Every major medical association in this country, from the American Academy of Pediatrics to the American Medical Association, agrees: gender-affirming care saves lives. Denying that care doesn’t stop someone from being transgender—it only increases the likelihood of suffering, of self-harm, of despair.

Let’s be clear: the real abuse is not the care—it is denying the care. It is forcing families into hiding, pushing young people toward suicide, addiction, homelessness, and unsafe black-market alternatives. It is weaponizing religion and power to control bodies and erase lives. And it is a grave violation of the sacred trust our states hold to care for all of their citizens.

But even in these dark times, there is light.

For every state that bans gender-affirming care, there are still families who love, affirm, and support their children in every way they can:

• Let them express themselves authentically.

• Call them by their chosen name.

• Help them choose clothes that reflect who they are.

• Build support groups and find safe online communities.

• Attend affirming camps, conventions, and pride celebrations.

• Fight for legal name and gender marker changes the moment they are eligible.

• Save up. Make plans. Hold on.

And for all of us who were once those children—we stand with you.

We are proof that you can survive. That you can thrive. That you are not alone.

No matter how the government, the states, or those who oppose the lives of transgender people continue on in their hatred, oppression, and bigotry—we will survive.We will thrive.And our greatest success will come as our youth grow into empowered adults—leaders, healers, lawmakers, and changemakers—who will continue to reshape the world.

They will help end this cycle of discrimination.They will usher in a new era of love, liberty, and truth.No matter how long it takes, the world will witness the beauty, the power, the resilience, and the sacredness of the transgender experience.

We pray, and we call upon our community—and every ally of love and justice—to rise. To stand up for truth. To push back against hatred. To speak up for what’s right, even when it’s not easy.

And we know, with unwavering faith, that God is with us.

God does not stand with the self-righteous, the cruel, or the bigoted.God is not the voice of oppression or the author of violence.Those who claim to speak for God while spewing hatred have not prayed for an open heart and an open mind.They act as judge, jury, and executioner—when they themselves are lost in hypocrisy and arrogance.That, my friends, is the abomination.That is the sin.

But we? We are sacred.We are divine.We are rising.

Sincerely,

Reverend Paula Josephine Sadler

Founder and Spiritual Leader,

Universal Rainbow Faith Church