I'm part of a fairly big online group for trans people in my state. A kid in the group was looking for someone to talk to- he's FTM and starting his transition. So I offered to reach out and we've been messaging on Facebook. We live in the same town, although I've never met him in person. His family is really abusive. Earlier this week they threw away his male clothing and forced him to attend school, where he was out as male, in a dress. They seem to be very religious. I don't know what else is going on in his home but he's very depressed, has considered suicide, and it honestly wouldn't surprise me if his parents were also physically abusive. A teacher of his has already reached out and he says she's even offered to help him get to a crisis center, which is an option he's considering. I've asked him if he has anywhere he can go but he doesn't have any friends or relatives he can call up. If I don't have an address, just a phone number and his family's Facebook pages, can I still make a child abuse report to the police? And what can I do to help make sure he's okay? I don't want to overstep boundaries but I also don't want to turn a blind eye when there are avenues to help.
Maybe you can talk to the teacher? I've heard plenty of times about teachers who reported their student's parents because of domestic violence, so I'm sure it's a possibility. If he has no friends or relatives who can help him, you and the teacher will have to come up with something to protect this kid. I hope everything turns out okay for all of you
Thanks. I did give him my contact info and told him he could forward it to his teacher. If anything, I'm going to ask if it's okay to mail her a binder to give to him and see if we can put in a report.
