Trans People Belong. Trans Youth Belong. Protect Trans Youth.
This week, Texas Governor Greg Abbott directed the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services to begin investigating transgender children and prosecuting their parents for child abuse for providing gender-affirming care. In a letter to the Department of Family and Protective Services sent Tuesday, Abbott warned that educators, medical professionals, and others who don’t report alleged abuse could face consequences. The letter followed an opinion released by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, which stated that allowing minors to receive transition care is child abuse under state law. Although opinions do not equate to law, they carry an expectation of compliance from government agencies.
Dr. Cindi Love, Executive Director of Out for Undergrad (O4U), and resident of Texas, says, “Conservative Texas politicians have a particularly egregious and highly politicized track record of targeting the vulnerable — trans youth and adults — often targeting them in election cycles. LGBTQ+ advocates and activists have been pushing back on this type of discrimination for decades in Texas."
O4U rejects the misinformed opinion from the Texas Governor and supports Equality Texas’ appeal to ensure access to medically necessary care for trans youth and adults.
Out for Undergrad is committed to our mission to help high-achieving LGBTQ+ undergraduates reach their full potential. We are also committed to creating a world where inclusion and human dignity are central organizing principles. We believe that living authentically is at the core of our humanity. These legislative actions contradict these principles, and we stand with the trans community and their supporters.
As shown by The National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health completed by The Trevor Project in 2021 gender affirming support can be life-saving to transgender youth. It is critical that the steps taken in Texas be reversed so that they can receive the support they need, and be recognized and celebrated for who they are.
We join those who support trans youth and adults in asking the Texas Governor, Attorney General, and Legislature to abandon their current platform and adopt a direction that recognizes the human dignity of all people.
You can send a message to the Department of Family and Protective Services here.
Sources:
Letter by Governor Greg Abbot to Texas Department of Family and Protective Services
