Tipsheet

Parents of Transgender Children Sue Texas to Stop Child Abuse Investigations

Parents of transgender children in Texas are suing to stop the state from continuing child abuse investigations.

The Washington Post reported Thursday that at least nine families are being probed by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services for allowing their "transgender" children to undergo "gender-affirming" health care.

The lawsuit, filed by Lambda Legal, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the ACLU of Texas, was filed on behalf of three Texas families. 

'The suit requests that the court block state investigations of PFLAG families in Texas who are supporting their transgender children with medically necessary health care," Lamba Legal wrote on its website. 

Townhall covered in March how a federal judge in Texas temporarily blocked the investigations into the parents of transgender children from being carried out. The judge who halted the investigations ruled that it violated the state's constitution. 

Two months later, a Texas court ruled that the investigations into the parents could continue. 

The investigations were launched under Texas Gov. Greg Abbott following a "non-binding" opinion from Attorney General Ken Paxton that stated that parents who provide their children with puberty-suppressing drugs or other "gender-affirming" treatments could be investigated for child abuse.

In an interview with Townhall in March, Paxton said that the Texas Family Code prohibits this type of treatment on minors.

"When performed on children, these procedures are 'abuse' under Texas law. They're illegal. And family courts, family-law government agencies, and the like must do their part to stop it," Paxton said.