The Travis County District Court has told the state to stop investigating three families of transgender kids for child abuse and other families who are a part of PFLAG, Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays.
The American Civil Liberties Union, Lambda Legal, and the ACLU of Texas, along with Texas-based law firm Baker Botts LLP filed the lawsuit in state court. Shelly Skeen with Lambda Legal said: "I am elated. The families are elated. The families are elated. I think PFLAG is elated. This is really great news and a big win."
Skeen said there will be another hearing within the next two weeks when the court will determine whether things will stay this way until there's a trial. She added that all of this came about after the 2021 state legislature failed to pass a bill prohibiting gender-affirming care for transgender children.
Skeen said Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued a directive based on an opinion from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
"The AG's opinion said that medically necessary care is not child abuse, but not medically necessary care is child abuse," Skeen said. "The governor said I read the Paxton opinion to say that gender-affirming care is child abuse." Governor Abbott then directed the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services to investigate these families.
In an earlier lawsuit brought, the Texas Supreme Court upheld part of an appeals court order preventing DFPS from investigating parents who work with medical professionals to provide their adolescent transgender children with medically necessary health care. That case, Doe v. Abbott, is still pending.
Skeen said the families now protected are elated and have been terrified.
"Many have left the state," Skeen said. "We have families who are leaving the state because of what we're seeing in respect to restricting this type of care for these kids who need it so much."
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