“The elected leaders and agencies of this state should not play politics with people’s lives,” ACLU of Texas attorney Brian Klosterboer said in a statement after the ruling. “We will do all that’s possible to stop these abuses of power and ensure transgender young people can receive medically recommended treatment.”
A spokesperson for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services declined to comment.
Texas lawmakers have so far failed to pass legislation to outlaw gender-affirming care for adolescents with gender dysphoria. But a Feb. 18 legal opinion from state Attorney General Ken Paxton asserted such medical care qualifies as “child abuse.”
Abbott followed up with a Feb. 22 directive to DFPS Commissioner Jaime Masters that ordered the youth protection agency to investigate the use of gender-affirming procedures on children and called for inquiries into parents and medical providers who allegedly violate the law.
According to a complaint filed in a state district court, the protective services department soon launched an investigation into one of its employees — who is also the parent of a 16-year-old transgender girl.
“We appreciate the relief granted to our clients, but this should never have happened and is unfathomably cruel,” Klosterboer said.