Texas Court Expands Injunction Blocking State From Targeting Families of Trans Youth Who Are Members of PFLAG National
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 16, 2022
CONTACT
Lambda Legal: Jonathan Adams, 646-752-3251; jadams@lambdalegal.org
老澳门开奖结果 of Texas: Matt Levin, media@aclutx.org
PFLAG National: Laura McGinnis, 202-725-7571; lmcginnis@pflag.org
AUSTIN 鈥� The Travis County District Court today blocking the State of Texas from implementing a directive targeting trans youth and their families across Texas. The directive ordered the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) to investigate parents who work with medical professionals to provide their adolescent transgender children with medically necessary healthcare. The directive could have led to transgender youth being placed in foster care and their parents criminally charged with child abuse鈥攋ust for following the advice of their physicians and mental health providers.
Today鈥檚 ruling in PFLAG v. Abbott covers all Texas families who are members of PFLAG National, a national LGBTQ+ organization with 17 chapters in Texas. It also covers Adam and Amber Briggle and their son, M.B. Earlier, the court had issued an injunction blocking DFPS from investigating two other plaintiff families in the PFLAG v. Abbott lawsuit who are anonymous for purposes of the lawsuit. These injunctions became necessary to protect Texas families after the statewide injunction against the directive issued in an earlier lawsuit, Doe v. Abbott, was put on hold during the State's appeal.
The ruling comes after the plaintiffs notified the court last week that DFPS was continuing intrusive investigations against PFLAG members, including at school about his medical history.
鈥淭oday, families of transgender kids in Texas who are members of PFLAG National find shelter from Gov. Abbott's unjust order,鈥� said Brian K. Bond, Executive Director of PFLAG National. 鈥淧FLAG, our chapters in Texas and around the country are sources of support and safety from government harm because every LGBTQ+ person deserves respect, dignity and the right to access the care they need when they need it.鈥�
鈥淎gain, the court has grasped the magnitude and breadth of the continued harm that Gov. Abbott鈥檚 directive and Attorney General Paxton鈥檚 opinion would have caused if DFPS was allowed to pursue its investigations,鈥� said Nicholas 鈥淕uilly鈥� Guillory, Tyrone Garner Memorial Law Fellow, Lambda Legal. 鈥淔amilies across Texas, since Gov. Abbott issued his directive, have lived in fear of the knock on the door. Even after the Texas Supreme Court ruled that Gov. Abbott could not compel DFPS to conduct investigations, many families remained under investigation. Parents who love their transgender children and work with healthcare providers to support and affirm their well-being should be celebrated, rather than investigated as criminals as the state sought to do here.鈥�
鈥淥nce again a Texas court has stepped in to say what we knew from the beginning: State leaders have no business interfering with life-saving care essential for transgender youth,鈥� said Adri P茅rez (they/them), of the 老澳门开奖结果 of Texas. 鈥淲e should trust doctors and every major medical association on how to support transgender youth. State leadership continues to attack parents for how they raise their kids 鈥� and all our plaintiffs are doing is providing unconditional love and support for children of all gender identities. We will never stop fighting for the rights, safety, and dignity of transgender Texans.鈥�
The lawsuit was filed by Lambda Legal, the 老澳门开奖结果 Jon L. Stryker and Slobodan Randjelovi膰 LGBTQ & HIV Project, the 老澳门开奖结果 Women鈥檚 Rights Project, the 老澳门开奖结果 of Texas, and the law firm of Baker Botts LLP.
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