The Governor of Texas Governor has ordered state authorities to investigate parents of transgender children who support them undergoing gender-transitioning procedures.
Greg Abbott, who has been notoriously anti-trans during his reign in the top job, told the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) to look into the mums and dads in the state who have allowed their kids to begin transitioning.
The move came after Texas' Attorney General said gender-affirming health care for trans children should be viewed as a punishable form of child abuse.
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Abbott wrote a letter to DFPS stating: "It is already against the law to subject Texas children to a wide variety of elective procedures for gender transitioning, including reassignment surgeries that can cause sterilization, mastectomies, removals of otherwise healthy body parts, and administration of puberty-blocking drugs or supraphysiologic doses of testosterone or estrogen."
He added: "Texas law also imposes a duty on DFPS to investigate the parents of a child who is subjected to these abusive gender-transitioning procedures, and on other state agencies to investigate licensed facilities where such procedures may occur."
Licensed professionals in Texas who deal with trans children undergoing gender-transitioning procedures could be investigated if they don't report them to authorities.
This includes doctors, nurses, and teachers. The general public can also face penalties if they don't report children.
The move is extremely dangerous because limiting or preventing trans kids from gender-affirming health care can be extremely detrimental to their mental health.
Some examples of this health care can include things like taking puberty blockers to stop their bodies from growing into the sex they were assigned at birth.
If they don't take this medication then their transition journey could be harder if they choose to do it later in life, according to Human Rights Watch.
"These interventions can be vitally important for transgender young people’s physical and mental health. For that reason, the American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, and other professional organizations have condemned attacks on gender-affirming care," the group said.
While the Governor and Attorney General want to hunt down the parents of trans kids for supporting them, it doesn't seem like these mums and dads will be prosecuted.
Shelly Skeen, a senior attorney with Lambda Legal, told the Texas Tribune that it's highly unlikely a court or judge will find them guilty.
“Texas law has a very clear definition of what child abuse is, and it's not this,” Skeen said.
Topics: News
Stewart Perrie