Texas court blocks probes of trans youth parents

A judge in the southern US state of Texas on Friday blocked investigations into the parents of transgender minors over gender-confirming care.

District Judge Amy Clark Meachum issued a temporary injunction preventing the state from enforcing a directive by  Governor Greg Abbott to compel the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) to investigate reports of youth receiving such care.

LGBTQ+ rights groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Lambda Legal, had sued over the investigation and the directive on behalf of the parents of a 16-year-old girl. 

Meachum ruled that the governor's actions "violate separation of powers by impermissibly encroaching into the legislative domain."

'We will continue to fight with trans youth': ACLU

ACLU said in a tweet, "We will continue to fight with trans youth, their parents and their doctors until all trans people are affirmed and have access to the care they need." 

Opponents of gender transitioning say minors are too young to make the decision to alter their bodies. But advocates say the move is being used to deny crucial care to transgender youth, who suffer a disproportionately high rate of suicide. 

The family that challenged the directive was not named in the lawsuit.

After the directive came into force, the girl's mother was suspended by her employer, the DFPS. She was then visited by an investigator who looked into whether the child was "currently transitioning from male to female," according to the lawsuit. 

Last week, the Texas Children's Hospital had paused hormone-related prescription therapies in order to protect the medical staff from legal and criminal charges.

President Joe Biden has also spoken against the Texas directive. "Children, their parents, and their doctors should have the freedom to make the medical decisions that are best for each young person without politicians getting in the way," he said.

tg/fb (AFP, AP, Reuters)