Mama Bears Announces Press Conference at Texas State Capitol To Support of Trans Youth

Savas Abadsidis March 14, 2022

Ahead of its SXSW 2022 premiere, Mama Bears announced a press conference at the Texas State Capitol to defend trans youth from “discriminatory, harmful, and unconstitutional attacks.”

This is following the recent ruling by Governor Greg Abbott which called for the Department of Family and Protective Services to investigate parents who provide gender-affirming surgeries to their trans youth.

Above: Kimberly and Kai Shappley

The LGBTQ+ community and allies have called the ruling unjust. After heavy backlash, it has been reported that investigations of parents with transgender children for possible child abuse were temporarily halted across Texas due to accusations of the ruling improperly violating constitutional rights.

Above: Tammi Terrell Morris and girlfriend Shadae Miles, footage by Amy Bench

NBC News:

When Melissa Ballard’s transgender son, Ashur, began transitioning to male at the age of 12, longtime friends slowly disappeared from their lives. None of them said why. They just quit returning her calls.
“It’s still sad, because our kids grew up together, and they were all best friends, and we’d all been in church together for years, and we spent many holidays and weekends [with] a couple of these families,” Ballard told NBC News.
The Texas mom did receive a message from one family: It contained a link to a conversion therapy camp.
“They told me I might want to look into it,” Ballard said. “And I was like, ‘No, no, you can keep that; we’re on the right path for us.’”
“And that’s when she came back, and she said, ‘Oh, we’re very supportive, but you’re going against God and the bible, and we’re not going to support that. That’s a decision you’re going to have to deal with on your own,’” Ballard recalled.
Ballard scoured the internet for resources in the Dallas-Fort Worth area that could help her family. She found a therapist who offered group sessions for parents with transgender children. She bonded with the moms and dads she met there. They’d grab dinner together after their sessions. Then they started inviting each other over for potlucks.
“After we started doing the potluck dinner thing, I put together a web page where people can find some local information about local therapists [and] doctors, and then contact us of course through there to meet up,” Ballard said. She also started a private Facebook group for parents.
“That’s where it all combined together and exploded and has grown and grown and grown since then,” she said.
“Protecting Our Cubs”
Ballard’s group climbed from 24 members to more than 225 parents and 200 transgender youth. Their official name is Dallas Fort Worth Trans Kids and Families, but they call themselves the the “Mamma Bears.”
“A mother bear is very protective of her cubs and that’s just kind of what people started calling us,” Ballard said. “That’s what we’re doing, we’re protecting our cubs and fighting for them.”

Above: Tammi Terrell Morris

ACLU-TX, Equality Texas, GLAAD, HRC, TENT and the Producers of the SXSW documentary feature MAMA BEARS to host…

A timely press event on Monday, March 14th on the steps of the Texas State Capitol denouncing Gov. Abbott’s harmful directive against trans youth.

TX Representatives Jessica González & Erin Zwiener join forces with Kimberly & Kai Shappley and local mama bears at a rally to protect and support LGBTQ+ families across Texas & nationwide.

When:
Monday, March 14th at 12:00 PM CST (NOON)

Where:
South Steps, State Capitol Building
1100 Congress Ave, Austin, Texas 78701

Who:
TX Rep. Jessica González, District 104 (D-Dallas)
TX Rep. Erin Zwiener, District 45 (D)
Alex Schmider, GLAAD Director, Trans Representation
Ricardo Martinez, Equality Texas, Executive Director
Rebecca Marques, HRC, Texas State Director
Emmett Schelling, Transgender Education Network of Texas (TENT)
Kimberly & Kai Shappley, Trans Activist & MAMA BEARS Participants
Daresha Kyi, Director & Producer of MAMA BEARS Documentary Sara Cunningham, Free Mom Hugs Founder, Author & Activist
Liz Dyer, Mama Bears, Founder

Why:
To take swift action to protect trans youth from discriminatory, harmful, and unconstitutional attacks, and further defend, educate, and empower families with LGBTQ+ members while offering a consistent, loving presence in their lives.