AUSTIN, Texas — On Tuesday, the Travis County Commissioners Court unanimously approved a resolution proclaiming support for the rights of families, parents and transgender children.
The resolution was put forward after Gov. Greg Abbott’s directive that the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) investigate parents seeking gender-affirming care for their transgender children.
Travis County Judge Andy Brown put forward the resolution, saying it was “time to end the hate in Texas against transgender people.”
“As a sign of solidarity with our transgender friends, family members and neighbors throughout the state of Texas, we passed a resolution to stop the hate against trans children and their parents,” Judge Brown wrote on Twitter on Tuesday. “I want everyone to know that they are welcome here in Travis County.”
"It's so important for transgender youth to not only receive affirmation from allies right now, but protection," added Ash Hall, a local activist and policy expert who helped the County draft the resolution. "I'm proud of my County today for taking this step to make sure our kids can just focus on being kids."
Last month, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, in his official capacity as the chief legal officer for the State, said certain child sex modification procedures should be treated as abuse. The opinion claims Texas law counts puberty blockers and other medical procedures to change a child’s sex as “abuse” under section 261.001 of the Texas Family Code.
A day after Paxton's announcement, Gov. Abbott issued a letter to the DFPS directing the agency to conduct "prompt and thorough" investigations of any reported instances of Texas children being "subjected to abusive gender-transitioning procedures."
The Travis County resolution calls the directives “disturbing and dangerous,” saying they are “impeding the safety and personal freedoms of our transgender youth and their families.”
“Travis County Commissioners Court stands in solidarity with our LGBTQIA+ community, will protect their rights to seek care and feel physically and mentally safe in our community, and will oppose actions that negatively impact the well-being and rights of LGBTQIA+ youth and their families,” the resolution says.
The state of Texas is already investigating a family for child abuse after the parents obtained gender-affirming care for their 16-year-old transgender daughter. The child’s mother is a DFPS employee and has been placed on leave.
That case came to light after the ACLU and Lambda Legal filed a lawsuit on the family’s behalf to block such investigations, naming both Gov. Abbott and the DFPS as defendants.
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