We may be accustomed to politicians manipulating the “culture wars” for their own political purposes, but the actions of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Texas Governor Greg Abbott have gone even further than most, weaponizing the government against loving families and harming children already in precarious positions. Abbott followed Paxton’s legal opinion that gender-affirming medical treatment harms children with a directive to state health agencies to conduct “prompt and thorough” investigations into the use of gender-affirming care for transgender children [WashPost]. Their position is dangerous, disingenuous, hypocritical, and misinformed.
Their actions directly endanger trans people and their family. Jack Turban, a chief fellow in child and adolescent psychiatry at Stanford University School of Medicine who works with trans youth, writes, “at least 14 studies have examined the impact of gender-affirming care on the mental health of youths with gender dysphoria and have shown improvements in anxiety, depression and suicidality” [WashPost2]. “And as conversations mounted, the Trevor Project — an organization dedicated to suicide prevention for LGBTQ youth — received more than 10,800 total crisis calls, texts and chats from LGBTQ youth in Texas looking for support between Jan. 1 and Aug. 30, 2021. More than a third of those crisis contacts came from transgender or nonbinary youth” [npr.org].
Their actions are disingenuous and hypocritical. Abbot, Paxton, and their allies are using the plight of others for political gain. Jennifer Rubin writes, “Consider how perverse the Republican Party’s mentality is: Parents should be allowed to intervene or even sue schools for teaching about racial history, but if they try to support their children along medically accepted lines, the GOP will try to take their kids away” [WashPost3]. So parents know best about education – they know better than professional educators trained to determine what to teach – yet politicians somehow know better than parents when it comes to children’s health and sexuality? Hardly consistent…
Their actions are misinformed. “Contrary to the outdated, inaccurate and intentionally misleading information cited in the attorney general’s opinion, gender-affirming treatment for children and adolescents suffering from gender dysphoria is supported by every major medical association in the United States, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association and the American Psychological Association. Decisions about treatment are made with care and thought and consultation; research has established that transgender youths at risk of mental health problems and suicide benefit when their gender identity is affirmed” [WashPost]. Paxton’s claims that gender-affirming care for adolescents results in sterilization are also false. “Puberty blockers have been used for decades, and they don’t impair fertility” [WashPost2]. Nor are teens rushed through gender-affirming care. In reality, clear guidelines require minors first to work with mental health professional trained in these issues, often for a year or more, and then the wait to get into a clinic is often a year or more as well. [WashPost2].
Frank C. Worrell, PhD, president of the American Psychological Association, directly condemns Abbott’s directive:
This ill-conceived directive from the Texas governor will put at-risk children at even higher risk of anxiety, depression, self-harm, and suicide. Gender-affirming care promotes the health and well-being of transgender youth and is provided by medical and mental health professionals, based on well-established scientific research. The peer-reviewed research suggests that transgender children and youth who are treated with affirmation and receive evidence-based treatments tend to see improvements in their psychological well-being.
Asking licensed medical and mental health professionals to ‘turn in’ parents who are merely trying to give their children needed and evidence-based care would violate patient confidentiality as well as professional ethics. The American Psychological Association opposes politicized intrusions into the decisions that parents make with medical providers about caring for their children. [apa.org]
Emmett Schelling, the executive director of the Transgender Education Network of Texas told NPR, “The state leadership has said, ‘We would rather see dead children … instead of happy, loved, supported, thriving trans kids that are alive and well,’ ” [npr.org]
I do see glimmers of hope. The ACLU has asked a judge to issue a temporary restraining order, temporary injunction or permanent injunction for what they call legislating by press release. “Governor Abbott’s letter instructing DFPS to investigate the families of transgender children is entirely without Constitutional or statutory authority,” the lawsuit says, adding the governor’s directive denies transgender youth equal protection” [cnn.com]. Frank C. Worrell, PhD, president of the American Psychological Association, condemns the governor’s actions:
This ill-conceived directive from the Texas governor will put at-risk children at even higher risk of anxiety, depression, self-harm, and suicide. Gender-affirming care promotes the health and well-being of transgender youth and is provided by medical and mental health professionals, based on well-established scientific research. The peer-reviewed research suggests that transgender children and youth who are treated with affirmation and receive evidence-based treatments tend to see improvements in their psychological well-being.
Asking licensed medical and mental health professionals to ‘turn in’ parents who are merely trying to give their children needed and evidence-based care would violate patient confidentiality as well as professional ethics. The American Psychological Association opposes politicized intrusions into the decisions that parents make with medical providers about caring for their children [apa.org].
A number of Texas district and county attorneys say they will refuse to enforce the order. Harris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee spoke for many of them when he said, “My office will not participate in these bad faith political games. As the lawyers handling these cases, we owe a duty of candor to the courts about what the law really says. We’ll continue to follow the laws on the books — not General Paxton’s politically motivated and legally incorrect ‘opinion’” [DallasNews].
I know trans people from my decades in safe schools work. Those I met as adults helped me understand their journeys through discussion. Those I knew through their transition have shared their struggles firsthand. They have taught me how essential it is for every human being to be able to be authentic in life without being judged or harassed. Isn’t that what all of us want for ourselves? We cannot let politicians deprive transgender people and their families of such basic rights.
