Local Lawmakers Condemn Republican Attacks on Trans Children

Houston-area Democratic lawmakers are taking a stand against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Governor Greg Abbot’s most recent attacks on the transgender community.

Paxton issued a 13-page nonbinding argument on February 22 stating that gender-affirming medical treatments and procedures constitute a form of child abuse. One day later, Abbott instructed the Texas Department of Family Protective Services (DFPS) to “conduct a prompt and thorough investigation of any reported instances of these abusive procedures in the State of Texas.”

The ACLU of Texas and Lambda Legal on March 1 filed a lawsuit to block DFPS from following Abbott’s orders. On March 2, Travis County District Court Judge Amy Clark Meachum granted a temporary restraining order to prevent the State from investigating families who are supporting their trans children with gender-affirming therapies. 

During the days leading up to these events, several local elected officials publicly voiced their concerns about Paxton’s opinion and Abbott’s order.

Harris County attorney Christian D. Menefee, whose office represents the State in civil child-abuse cases in Harris County, said he would not participate in GOP “bad-faith political games.” In an op-ed piece for the Daily Beast, Menafee expanded on why he wouldn’t follow the governor’s order.

“I refuse to remove a child from a safe and loving home,” he wrote. “Parents in Houston and surrounding cities deserve to know they will not be dragged into court for consulting with medical professionals and doing what’s best for their kids.”

Every medical organization in the United States—including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Pediatric Endocrine Society, the American Medical Association, and the American Psychological Association—supports access to gender-affirming care by affirming that it is safe and even life-saving for trans youth. 

“I’m not alone in this fight. District and county attorneys across the state have joined me in refusing to enforce the governor’s directive,” Menefee emphasizes.

Out Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said she would not prosecute any parent or healthcare provider for providing medically appropriate care to a trans child.

“As a member of the LGBTQ community myself, I am particularly sensitive to the invidious nature of this order. It turns family members against each other, at the expense of their children. It is a remnant of a hateful past that I had hoped our society had matured beyond,” Ogg said. 

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner joined leaders in condemning Abbott and Paxton’s attacks and reassuring local transgender pioneers. “In Houston, we don’t bully our transgender neighbors. We watch them make history—like municipal judge Phillis Frye. The stigma that the governor and attorney general work to create is part of the reason that the late TransGriot journalist Monica Roberts [reported] so many stories of violence faced by trans women of color,” he wrote. “As a matter of law and policy, I will continue to listen to Houstonians like Lou Weaver, a queer transgender man and leader in Houston’s LGBTQ community, and other leaders committed to an inclusive city.” 

During President Joe Biden’s State of the Union Address on March 1, Representative Sylvia Garcia, whose district covers much of East Houston, had local trans girl Sunny Bryant join her online as a guest for the evening.

“Sunny Bryant is a transgender girl who, like her transgender community, is currently experiencing fear and anxiety due to politically motivated attacks sparked by Texas Governor Greg Abbott and his anti-trans actions,” she said. “This measure not only goes against the opinions of medical experts, but it intentionally strikes fear in the transgender community for political gain. This is appalling! But, like hometown heroes across the country, Sunny is strong and resilient.”