Texas Governor Orders that Parents of Transgender Children be Investigated
Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued a directive ordering that the DFPS investigate gender-transitioning procedures as child abuse. Source: Gage Skidmore, Flikr (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Texas Governor Greg Abbott sent a letter to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) on Feb. 22 directing the agency to investigate parents of transgender children who are receiving gender-affirming medical care.
In Abbott's letter, he states that “the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) has now confirmed in the enclosed opinion that a number of so-called “sex change” procedures constitute child abuse under existing Texas law.”
Abbott and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton believe that gender-affirming care such as reassignment surgeries, puberty-blocking drugs and extra doses of testosterone or estrogen in children should be considered child abuse by their parents.
According to Abbott’s directive, all members of the general public must report parents whose children are undergoing gender-affirming medical care or they can face legal consequences.
“Texas law imposes reporting requirements upon all licensed professionals who have direct contact with children who may be subject to such abuse, including doctors, nurses, and teachers and provides criminal penalties for failure to report such child abuse,” Abbott said in his letter.
In addition, Abbott also wants other state agencies to investigate licensed facilities where gender-affirming procedures and care are administered. After the directive was sent to state agencies, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit against the Texas Department for Family and Protective Services and Abbott.
The morning after President Joe Biden gave his State of the Union Address, the White House condemned the “Texas attacks on transgender youth.” During his State of the Union Address, Biden also mentioned his support of the transgender community.
“Respected medical organizations have said that access to gender-affirming care for transgender children can benefit mental health, lower suicide rates and improve other health outcomes,” Biden said in a press release. “Children, their parents and their doctors should have the freedom to make the medical decisions that are best for each young person—without politicians getting the way.”
Additionally, the Texas Department of Health and Human Services recently removed the resources for LGBTQ youth from its suicide prevention webpage. At the beginning of February, the state website had a hyperlink and additional resources through the Trevor Project, a crisis intervention and suicide prevention service for LGBTQ youths. The resources for LGBTQ youths in crisis have since been removed from the website.
The news out of Texas comes just after the passing of the Parental Rights in Education Bill by the Florida Senate. The bill received support from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and is being referred to as the “Don’t Say Gay Bill” by many LGBTQ activists.
The bill will limit what classrooms can teach about sexual orientation and gender identity. It will also require that educators inform parents of specific information they may talk about in regards to LGBTQ topics in the classroom.
The bill states that Flordia public schools will “prohibit classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity in certain grade levels; require school districts to notify parents of healthcare services; authorize parents to bring action against the school district to obtain declaratory judgment.”
Similar to the denunciation of the Texas directive by Biden, he also spoke out against Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Bill on Twitter.
“I want every member of the LGBTQI+ community — especially the kids who will be impacted by this hateful bill — to know that you are loved and accepted just as you are,” Biden said in a Feb. 8 Twitter post.
The recent bills and legislation in Florida and Texas are directly targeting the rights of the LGBTQ community. Amid these attacks, young activist groups, LGBTQ groups and organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union continue to fight back.