Texas appeals court blocks state from investigating parents of transgender children

A Texas appeals court on Friday upheld a lower court’s injunction blocking the state from investigating parents who provide their transgender children with gender-affirming medical treatments, which Gov. Greg Abbott called abusive.

Abbott, a Republican, had ordered the state Department of Family Protective Services to conduct investigations into child abuse in families whose children were receiving puberty-blocking treatments in February 2022.

A month later, a district court judge imposed a temporary statewide injunction on such investigations, saying such investigations endanger children and their families.

The Austin Court of Appeals upheld the district court judge’s injunction in two rulings Friday, delivering a victory to LGBTQ groups, medical professionals and civil liberties advocates who oppose the measures. by conservative politicians in dozens of states to criminalize the provision of gender-affirming treatments. for young trans people.

“This is a much-needed victory for trans youth and those who love and support them,” the American Civil Liberties Union said Friday on X.

Representatives for Abbott and DFPS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The ACLU and Lambda Legal challenged Abbott’s order on behalf of the family of a 16-year-old transgender girl targeted by an investigation.

The child had taken puberty-delaying medications and hormonal treatment. Her mother was a DFPS employee and was placed on paid administrative leave after questions about what Abbott’s directive would mean for her family.

In 2022, the district court judge said the governor’s order could cause “irreparable harm” to families, given the stigma attached to being the target of a child abuse investigation, as well as loss of livelihood.

Texas restricted gender-affirming care for young people in 2023, making it one of more than a dozen states that currently ban transgender youth from receiving certain puberty blockers and hormone therapies, according to the Human Rights Campaign.

For more on NBC Out, Subscribe to our weekly newsletter.