A local judge temporarily blocked the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services from investigating two parents who helped their child seek gender-affirming medical treatment.
Hundreds of people are protesting in New York City on February 23, 2017: a Trump administration announcement that the Obama-era order allowing trans students to use school bathrooms matching their gender identities is being revoked. Activists and members of the trans community gathered outside of a bar to protest the new policy. The photo was taken by Spencer Platt.
A court hearing is scheduled for next Friday to decide whether to block Texas' new policy more broadly after a judge ruled in favor of two parents who sued state officials.
Judge Amy Clark Meachum barred DFPS from taking employment action against one parent who works for the agency because of the new policy.
According to the lawsuit, the DFPS employee was placed on administrative leave last week after inquiring about the new state policy, and was then approached by a DFPS investigator who asked for her child's medical records.
If the investigator found that the parents had violated the directive on child abuse, the employee could have lost her job and the husband could have been placed on a child abuse registry.
Paul Castillo is a lawyer from the legal group Lambda Legal.
On February 22, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called on the DFPS to investigate parents of children receiving gender-affirming care, and asked licensed professionals to report the parents for child abuse if they believe. The directive came after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton claimed in a legal opinion that many forms of gender-affirming medical care, including puberty blockers, hormone therapy and surgery, are considered child abuse under state law. The day the directive was released, the American Civil Liberties Union argued that it was not legally binding as it was up to the Texas courts to interpret the law. Several Republican-controlled states have called for restrictions on gender-affirming medical care for children over the last year, though many experts and groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics say those forms of treatment are evidence-based and medically necessary.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
