Austin — Three more families with transgender children are suing to thwart the state’s open abuse investigations against them.
The proceedings filed in Travis County on Wednesday included three and other investigations into families of LGBTQ people known as PFLAG and families with transgender children who are members of a nonprofit organization for allies. I’m asking the court to stop it.
The proceedings are led by Lambda Legal and ACLU in Texas. Along with his family, PFLAG is also a plaintiff.
In a statement, PFLAG National Executive Director Brian K. Bond said, “It is best for any parent, regardless of their gender, to be able to love, affirm and be their own. It’s a call. ” “If the law requires a court ruling to ensure that the law protects a family that is lovingly led to support the Transgender Texans, do so.”
This is the second proceeding against the state’s February decision to begin an investigation into care to identify a particular gender as child abuse. This decision comes from the non-binding opinion of Attorney General Ken Paxton, who said it was abusive to treat gender identity in minors with adolescent inhibitors and hormone therapy, and from Governor Greg Abbott. Based on being instructed to investigate the reports of minors. 18 Receive such care.
Lambda Legal and ACLU filed their first proceedings in March on behalf of a family member whose teenage daughter was receiving such care. Last month, the Texas Supreme Court temporarily suspended an investigation into its family, which remained anonymous while the proceedings were underway. The court also ruled that the governor had no authority to force such an investigation in DFPS in the first place.
However, a few days later, DFPS resumed several other investigations into families with transgender children. As of March, they had filed at least nine proceedings.
The proceedings filed on Wednesday are trying to suspend at least three of them.
Adam and Amber Briggle, one of the few families with transgender sons who have publicly commented on family investigations, are the parents of two other transgender minors by the pseudonym Mirabel Voe. As well as the parties to the proceedings. Wanda Law in proceedings.
The proceedings told the story of the Voe family: Mirabel Voe’s transgender son (given the pseudonym Antonio in the proceedings) began hormone therapy in January, and treatment improved his mood and anxiety. I did. However, the same day Abbott gave his instructions, Antonio attempted suicide by ingesting a bottle of aspirin. He was admitted to the hospital.
“Antonio said the political environment, including Abbott’s letter, and misgendering at school led him to take these actions,” the proceedings say.
On March 11, the Voe family was visited by child protection services. Mirabel Vaux thought the visit might have been due to an attempted suicide, but because her transgender son was allowed to receive gender-affirming treatment, she was “accused of being the culprit” of the abuse. I was told.
“Investigators told her that reports of’child abuse’came from an outpatient psychiatric facility where Antonio was seeking help,” the proceedings said.
According to the proceedings, Wanda’s transgender son, called Tommy in the proceedings, was withdrawn from the class after Abbott’s instructions and questioned by a CPS investigator.
“After the interview, Tommy was shivering and upset,” the proceedings said. “He missed nearly 30 minutes of class time and didn’t know what to tell others about why he was called to the office.”
Later that day, CPS investigators came to Roe’s house and asked Tommy’s mother and stepfather if they had abused Tommy, forced the transition, or accepted treatment related to the transition. They said “no”.
The proceedings said Tommy’s performance had deteriorated since the interview.
The Briggle family has long been open to the transition of their son, attending legislative hearings and political rallies in support of the rights of the transgender Texans. In an attempt to break the political gap, they had Paxton have a supper in 2016. However, the state’s new abuse policy has made them afraid of family safety.
“For the first time, they installed a camera outside the house,” the proceedings read. “They were tracked in their car and yelled at by people in another car.”
Age-appropriate personalized care for gender identity disorder, including what Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton called abuse, is supported by the largest group of physicians in the state and nation, including the U.S. and Texas Attorney General. ..
These groups oppose state abuse investigations and other efforts to prevent or change the gender-identifying care of minors.
Republican politicians in Texas have been paying more and more attention to the treatment of transgender youth in recent months. Last year, state legislators discussed a bill to crack down on gender affirming the health care of minors, but nothing passed the law.
Then, in November, the first and largest medical program for transgender children in Northern Texas stopped accepting new patients for treatments such as adolescent inhibitors and hormone therapy. Doctors who complained that the ruling successfully resumed these treatments during the proceedings said it was done under political pressure.
Paxton is trying to intervene in the proceedings on behalf of the state.
Paxton’s opinion and Abbott’s directive were released months later, just weeks before the most competitive Republican primary season in 10 years. Both men were seeking reelection, facing Republican primary challengers at the time and pressured them to more aggressively target gender-affirming care.
Abbott and Paxton easily defeated their major challengers. Both will face democratic enemies in November.
Brigles said Dallas Morning News last month They believe that the investigation of child abuse is motivated by the politics of the election year.
“This was political from day one,” said Amber Briggle, who recently had Abbott’s Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke for dinner. “They aren’t going to close [our case] Unless they are enforced by the court. “
