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Times could not be more tense for the families of transgender children in Texas. Gov. Greg Abbott added to the growing list of reasons his humanity card should be revoked when he recently ordered Texas’ Department of Family and Protective Services to launch child welfare investigations into families with transgender children.
Even worse, he cited Attorney General Ken Paxton’s opinion that any gender-affirming treatment should be treated and prosecuted as a form of child abuse. That’s like Satan saying, “The devil made me do it.”
President Joe Biden slammed Abbott‘s actions.
“This is government overreach at its worst,” Biden said in a statement on Wednesday. “These actions are terrifying many families in Texas and beyond. And they must stop.”
Abbott also angered high-profile LGBTQ members such as Andy Cohen, host of Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live, who dedicated a few minutes of his Tuesday show to address the directive by making Abbott his “Jackhole of the Day.”
You know you done fucked up when Cohen calls you out on your shit AND he’s sober.
“This order goes against the American Medical Association [AMA], the American Academy of Pediatrics [AAP] and everyone who knows that gender-affirming care reduces emotional distress and the risk of suicide in kids who identify as transgender,” Cohen said on the show’s latest episode. “I can’t believe I have to say this, but there is nothing pro-family about denying children medical care and threatening to rip them from their homes and families.”
"Texas, the best way to stand up to this bully is to vote like your life depends on it, because for a lot of transgender kids in Texas, it does." @Andy #WWHL pic.twitter.com/1Ao4EyvR6O
— WWHL (@BravoWWHL) March 2, 2022
One of the studies Cohen referenced in his rant comes from an investigation published last year in the Journal of the American Medical Association that states, “People with a history of gender-affirming surgery had significantly lower odds of past-month psychological distress, past-year tobacco smoking and past-year suicidal ideation compared with [transgender] people who seek them.”
So far, we know of at least one family that is being investigated over Abbott’s directive thanks to a federal lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) together with the unidentified parents of a 16-year-old girl. According to The Associated Press, 201st District Judge Amy Clark Meachum issued a temporary order on Thursday blocking Abbott’s directive, which ACLU of Texas attorney Brian Klosterboer characterized as “unfathomably cruel.”
If you’re a family or person being targeted by Abbott’s directive or just want to learn how you can help Texas and the country’s transgender community, there are several charities and nonprofit groups that can help. These groups provide things such as legal aid, financial support and even just someone to talk to during a crisis.
Some examples include the National Center for Transgender Quality, Equality Texas, the Transgender Education Network of Texas, The Trevor Project and Texas Pride Impact Funds. Local groups include Dallas Hope Charities, the Trans Pride Initiative and Youth First Texas.
