A Light in the Desert | | Santa Fe Reporter

This blog originally appeared at Santa Fe Reporter.

As surrounding states pass laws limiting access to gender-affirming services, New Mexico provides refuge

The phone began ringing during the initial week of June, to be precise, on June 3rd, just one day after Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a prohibition on gender-affirming care for minors into law.

On that particular day, Marshall Martinez, the Executive Director of Equality New Mexico, mentioned that he received a minimum of five phone calls from individuals residing across the state border. In each case, they posed the identical query: “I’m relocating my family to New Mexico; what essential information should I be aware of?”

The phone calls have persisted throughout the summer.

Despite legal actions taken by families, physicians, and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and a temporary pause granted by a state district judge, the Texas Supreme Court reversed that ruling last week, and the law officially came into effect on Friday, September 1st.

Texas has now become one of over 20 states that have implemented legislation prohibiting or restricting gender-affirming care for minors. Some other states have adjusted their policies to create obstacles and discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals. Given this situation, New Mexico is emerging as a sanctuary due to the recent enactment of laws that uphold rights and care within the state, particularly in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade in June 2022.

The decision initiated a process of unraveling abortion rights nationwide, along with access to gender-affirming healthcare.

The altered legal landscape in New Mexico has led advocates and healthcare providers in the state to prepare for an increase in out-of-state visitors, potentially even new residents.

However, leaders within well-established resource organizations caution that the limited resources in other states could place excessive strain on the available services here.

Adrien Lawyer, co-director of the Transgender Resource Center of New Mexico, says the state has begun to experience “a very specific pressure” on providers and resources as a result of what is happening in Texas.

“I think it just goes to show that you can’t control these things this way,” Lawyer tells SFR. “Folks are still going to seek this care, but then it just puts a strain on systems that are already strained in a chronically under-resourced state like New Mexico. It just hurts everybody.”

Click here to see full blog: https://www.sfreporter.com/news/coverstories/2023/09/06/a-light-in-the-desert/