I spoke at Houston’s Good Trouble rally last week, and someone approached me afterwards for an interview. I thought he was with the organizers, and he asked good and informed questions about how Texas trans kids can access health care.

Everything I said in the interview was public knowledge, and I’m always pretty careful about how I talk about gender-affirming care for adolescents.

AND - I woke up the next morning to find that this guy was actually a reporter from a Texas right-wing media outlet. Ah, geez.

He tweeted my interview and plus put it in an article on organization's website and socials. He didn’t edit the video (surprisingly) but somehow came away with the headline that NGOs were smuggling trans kids from Texas to different states to get surgeries. Really??!!

The comments were awful (I know, I know - I shouldn't have done that!). Lots of people want to see me arrested or hurt, and it’s been shared by some pretty large accounts.

I’m thankful that I’ve taken some measures to protect my personal information - more on that in a sec.

BUT I am kicking myself because I didn’t ask this guy's name, organization, what the video would be used for, his ID, or any credentials.

Strangely, I would’ve done all this at the Texas Capitol, because we’re all on high alert there for doxxers and creepy people doing exactly this and have been trained to ask those questions.

The moral of the story:

If you are public in your support of trans kids or the trans community, be cautious and vet anyone who asks for public statements or interviews.

Ask:
What’s your name?
What organization/publication are you with?
How will this video be used?
What’s the angle of this story?
Are you presenting “both sides”?
Can I see your credentials?
Can I see your ID?
Hang on while I google you.

If they can’t or won’t answer those questions, move on.

I really recommend DeleteMe if you are public at all so your personal information is safe BEFORE anything like this happens. This service scrubs your personal info from online data brokers ands prevents anyone from finding your personal info, like your phone number or address, but your business info can still be found.

Google me. I dare ya!

​Click here for 20% off a DeleteMe consumer plan (affiliate link).

But most importantly, ask those questions and keep yourself safe!

Mandy Giles​
Founder, Parents of Trans Youth​

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