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As states across the nation continue to target transgender children, some families flee for safety and refuge.  Some families choose to be as invisible as possible for their safety, and we support and celebrate that.  But other families are choosing to plant their feet and fight back. Today’s In the Den guest is a mom from Texas who fought back when the state investigated her and her husband for child abuse for nothing more than supporting their trans child. 

Special Guest: Amber Briggle

Amber Briggle (she/they) is a self-described “mama bear” of a transgender teen in Texas. Amber and her family were investigated by the Texas Department of Family Protective Services for “child abuse” in 2022 after TX Governor Greg Abbott directed the agency to open such cases against families like theirs. Consequently, Amber and her husband, Adam, sued Governor Abbott and are named as co-plaintiffs in PFLAG v Abbott, which seeks to permanently halt these types of investigations.

Amber is a founding member and the former national co-chair of the Human Rights Campaign’s “Parents for Transgender Equality Council”, and has previously been nominated by the Dallas Morning News as “Texan of the Year”. Along with her family, Amber starred in a nationwide PSA about trans-inclusive families that won a Telly Award and garnered over 300 million views, which she debuted onstage at the GLAAD Media Awards in Hollywood.

Amber has written for the Washington Post, Daily Beast, and TIME Magazine, and has been featured in numerous outlets, including Nightline, NHK-Japan, MSNBC, Newsweek, Teen Vogue, The 19th, and People Magazine. She and her family star in Love to the Max, a documentary acquired by the New Yorker, which was released June 2024. Mostly, though, she’s “just a mom” who loves both her kids unconditionally.

Links from the Show:

•  Love to the Max: www.lovetothemax.net 
• The Love to the Max film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSYm4gBiFYA&ab_channel=TheNewYorker 
• Protect Our Families: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbad3efCic8&ab_channel=GLAAD 
• Join Mama Dragons: www.mamadragons.org 

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