A church in Fort Worth, Texas, is facilitating the medical transitioning of minors, paying for youth and their families to travel out of state to receive “gender affirming” surgeries, hormones, and puberty blockers.
In an apparent effort to circumvent recent state legislation banning pediatric gender modification, the Galileo Church launched a non-profit organization seeking to facilitate the travel of youth out of the state for the purposes of receiving “gender affirming” services.
The North Texas TRANSportation Network (NTTN) states that it provides “travel grants to North Texas families seeking out-of-state health care for trans and gender-diverse minors.”
According to the NTTN official website, the mandate ties in with the Galileo Church’s priority to “do justice for LGBTQ+ people and support the people who love them.” The Church holds the tax exempt registration for NTTN as an “integrated auxiliary ministry.”
In order to receive funding, NTTN requires applicants to fill out a simple form, asking users to upload a copy of a treatment referral from a non-profit organization or a “trusted professional.” Referrals for “gender-affirming” treatments have become widespread and easy to obtain in recent years, with many websites now offering digital referrals after a brief online consultation for a low fee.
Once an applicant is approved, a travel grant of $1,000 is sent via Zelle, a payment processing app.
The NTTN covers 19 counties within the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, including Collin, Cooke, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Erath, Fannin, Grayson, Hood, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Navarro, Palo Pinto, Parker, Rockwall, Somervell, Tarrant, and Wise.
The NTTN website also has a dedicated section for minors under the age of 18, providing links to a number of external resources known for providing services to “trans kids” without parental consent.
The new charity, which was launched during the summer, was created in response to the passing of SB14, a Texas Senate bill banning pediatric gender modification. The bill was signed into law in June of 2021 and went into effect on September 1 of this year.
Galileo Church has stated that child gender procedures are “life saving healthcare” and claims that “withholding necessary care for trans kids is state-sponsored cruelty.”
Deferring to the Bible to justify its position on its official website, the Church states: “We believe that God, through Christ, has welcomed all to God’s heart. Period. We want our society to reflect that, so we rally in Dallas or lobby in Austin or parade in Fort Worth or whatever it takes to get it done … [We’re] just trying to keep up in a world that can be suddenly and seriously hostile to LGBTQ+ beloveds.”
The Church’s pastoral staff are largely a mix of LGBTQ members and social justice activists. The lead evangelist is Katie Hays, who states she prefers “she/her/hers” pronouns.
Hays has written numerous books including “Family of Origin, Family of Choice: Stories of Queer Christians,” and “For the Bible Tells Me So,” referencing “Queer children of God.”
According to CBS News, there have been two applicants to the NTTN so far, with one family’s request for funds already being approved.
