Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued a directive in late February ordering state officials to investigate parents of transgender teenagers who are receiving certain forms of medically approved care.
Abbott issued the directive after Ken Paxton, the state’s attorney general, issued an opinion stating that certain types of care for transgender youth, including hormones or drugs that suppress puberty, could be considered child abuse, reported The New York Times.
The move was the latest assault on transgender rights from Republican lawmakers. In a call with reporters, David Carney, a political strategist for Abbott, who faces reelection this year, called the anti-trans move a “winning issue” for Abbott, reported The Times.
“That is a 75 to 80% winner,” Carney said. “This is why the Democrats across the country are out of touch.”
The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas and Lambda Legal sued over the new policy, winning an initial victory in March when a state judge blocked the provision from going into effect.
President Joe Biden criticized the Texas directive, calling it “a cynical and dangerous campaign targeting transgender children and their parents.”