According to a 2020 study by The Williams Insitute, an LGBT think tank at UCLA Law School, 19% of transgender adults are parents. Many are parents to biological children. But for transgender people who choose to adopt or foster, the process can be particularly challenging. Laws vary by state, and while 28 states prohibit adoption discrimination on the basis of gender identity, 19 states do not.

Octavia Lewis is a transgender Health Coordinator at Montefiore Health System and she's navigated the foster and adoption systems in New York state. The Takeaway spoke with her about her constantly evolving relationship with motherhood.