AUSTIN, Texas — On Thursday, Lamda Legal, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the ACLU of Texas asked the Texas Third Court of Appeals for an emergency order that would keep the state's temporary injunction in effect during the item's appeal process.
This comes after a directive from Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton urging the Department of Family and Protective Services to investigate parents who work with health care professionals to provide adolescent transgender children with medical treatment.
Last week, on Friday, a district court halted such investigations. Paxton immediately filed an appeal.
“It is unconscionable that AG Paxton is in effect demanding that DFPS continue investigations notwithstanding the fact that the courts have ruled against him three times, most recently granting a statewide injunction based on defendants’ lawless and patently void executive actions,” said Paul D. Castillo, senior counsel at Lambda Legal. “As this case marches forward on appeal, families and mandatory reporters should not be subjected to the very same deprivation of rights and imminent injury that Friday’s injunction was designed to prevent. This deliberate cruelty must be stopped and stopped now.”
Friday's decision came after a hearing in a lawsuit filed on behalf of two parents – a DFPS employee and her spouse – and their transgender child.
“Every day that families in Texas are worried about being investigated for loving their trans adolescent, it causes extreme and irreparable harm,” said Chase Strangio, deputy director for Trans Justice with the ACLU LGBTQ & HIV Project. “So many families have had their lives turned upside down in the past few weeks. It's horrific and we will do everything we can to support young trans people and their families.”
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