Tag Archives: transgender rights

Biden signs executive order to protect trans kids

Posted on June 17, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Good. President Joe Biden signed an executive order Wednesday to enhance protections for transgender children and take steps to ban conversion therapy as efforts continue in Texas and other states to restrict gender-affirming medical care. The executive order calls on … Continue reading →

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Restraining order given in latest lawsuit to stop DFPS investigations

Posted on June 11, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Good. An Austin judge has temporarily stopped the state from investigating many parents who provide gender-affirming care to their transgender children. The state has ruled out allegations of child abuse against one family under investigation, but at least eight more … Continue reading →

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New lawsuit filed to stop DFPS “investigation” of trans kids and their families

Posted on June 9, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: The American Civil Liberties Union, Lambda Legal, and the ACLU of Texas, along with Texas-based law firm Baker Botts LLP, today filed a new lawsuit in Texas state court on behalf of PFLAG National and three Texas … Continue reading →

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Treatments for trans youth at Dallas hospital can continue until April

Posted on May 26, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

More good news. A Dallas County judge has granted a nearly one-year injunction against Children’s Medical Center Dallas that will allow doctors there to continue intake of transgender youth seeking certain medical treatments. Judge Melissa Bellan signed a temporary injunction … Continue reading →

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Republicans threaten businesses over abortion access

Posted on May 24, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

If you didn’t see stuff like this coming, you haven’t been paying attention. With Texas poised to automatically ban abortion if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, some Republicans are already setting their sights on the next target … Continue reading →

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Paxton seeks to intervene in GENECIS case

Posted on May 22, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This is what I was worried about. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton wants the state to intervene in a court battle over medical care for transgender youth at a Dallas hospital. Paxton filed a petition in a Dallas County court … Continue reading →

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DFPS to resume investigating families of trans kids

Posted on May 21, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Gross and discouraging. The state of Texas will restart its abuse investigations into families with transgender kids after a recent court ruling that lifted a statewide injunction on such probes. In a statement on Thursday, the Texas Department of Family … Continue reading →

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DMN/UT-Tyler: Abbott 46, Beto 39

Posted on May 17, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the story, which I currently can’t access. A very brief summary of it is in this Current article. The data is here and I’m going to riff on that, with references to the February version of this poll, for … Continue reading →

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Dallas gender affirming care unit can reopen

Posted on May 16, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Some good news for transgender kids and their families. A Dallas-based program that offers mental health services and hormone treatments to transgender children may resume the therapy for new patients for the first time since November, after a judge on … Continue reading →

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SCOTx issues mixed ruling on transgender child abuse investigations injunction

Posted on May 14, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll just have to see what happens next. Texas’ child welfare agency remains blocked from investigating the family of a transgender teen that sued the state in March, but can once again investigate other families that provide gender-affirming care after … Continue reading →

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Ken Paxton totally lied about gender affirming care

Posted on May 5, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I know, I’m as shocked as you are. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton relied on false claims, exaggerations and errors to conclude that gender-affirming medical care constitutes child abuse, a report by university-level medical experts has concluded. Paxton’s legal opinion … Continue reading →

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I’m just going to say this one thing about the pending evisceration of abortion rights

Posted on May 4, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Chris Tomlinson gets at the issue but doesn’t take it all the way. The Supreme Court’s apparent decision to allow state lawmakers to make women’s health care choices puts chief executives in a tough spot, forcing them to choose between their employees’ rights … Continue reading →

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Air Force aims to care for its families with LGBTQ members

Posted on April 19, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Good for them, but… The Air Force has issued a reminder to service members that it can help protect them from anti-LGBTQ state initiatives, such as the one in Texas that raised the possibility of child welfare investigations against parents … Continue reading →

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Texas child welfare workers are resigning

Posted on April 17, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Three guesses why. Morgan Davis, a transgender man, joined Texas’ child welfare agency as an investigator to be the advocate he never had growing up. Less than a year later, one of the first cases under Gov. Greg Abbott’s order … Continue reading →

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Our new school library standards

Posted on April 15, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I am casting a gimlet eye at this, at least for now. The Texas Education Agency released statewide standards Monday for how school districts should remove and prevent “obscene content” from entering Texas public school libraries. In the agency’s model … Continue reading →

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Dan Patrick wants a “Don’t Say Gay” bill for Texas

Posted on April 10, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Of course he does. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said Monday he will prioritize passing Texas legislation that mimics the recently signed Florida bill referred to as the “Don’t Say Gay” law. That state’s controversial law prohibits classroom lessons on sexual orientation or gender identity … Continue reading →

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Feds warn about lawsuits to come over anti-trans legislation

Posted on April 9, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Bring it. The Department of Justice is warning states like Texas that policies meant to block transgender children from receiving gender-affirming care violate their constitutional rights. “Intentionally erecting discriminatory barriers to prevent individuals from receiving gender-affirming care implicates a number … Continue reading →

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Paxton “investigating” pharmaceuticals over puberty blockers

Posted on March 29, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Also from last week, I don’t know if this is something to worry about or just blowing smoke. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is investigating two pharmaceutical companies — Endo Pharmaceuticals and AbbVie Inc. — for allegedly advertising puberty blockers … Continue reading →

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Paxton appeals to SCOTx to re-allow investigations of trans kids’ families

Posted on March 25, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Of course he did. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has asked the state Supreme Court to intervene to allow child abuse investigations into parents of transgender children. His request comes just days after a Texas appeals court reinstated a temporary injunction blocking the … Continue reading →

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Yes, the statewide injunction against investigations into the families of trans kids is in effect

Posted on March 23, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Good. A Texas appeals court on Monday reinstated a temporary injunction blocking Texas from investigating parents for child abuse if they allow their transgender children to receive gender-affirming care. The Texas 3rd Court of Appeals issued the order as part of a lawsuit brought … Continue reading →

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On gender affirming care and fertility

Posted on March 22, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The more you know… The fertility of transgender youths in Texas was thrust into the spotlight recently after state leaders issued a directive designating gender-affirming care as child abuse that infringed on a person’s “fundamental right to procreation.” Medical interventions … Continue reading →

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How anti-trans are Republicans anyway?

Posted on March 20, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

There’s polling evidence to suggest the issue is more nuanced than you might think, but actions always speak louder than poll numbers. Republicans surveyed by the left-leaning polling firm Data for Progress are nearly evenly split on whether the government … Continue reading →

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UT Southwestern doctor sues over closure of gender affirming care clinic

Posted on March 18, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The doctor who led UT Southwestern’s program for transgender youth is taking her employer to court to find out why the hospital abruptly cut care for new patients last year. In a petition filed in Dallas County court on … Continue reading →

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Why the business response to the state’s right wing assault has been so muted

Posted on March 17, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

A really good in depth article on the subject from the tech press, which is a source I hadn’t thought about for this before. When Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in February directed state agencies to investigate anyone who provides gender-affirming treatment to transgender … Continue reading →

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Is that statewide injunction against investigations into the families of trans kids in effect?

Posted on March 16, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Ken Paxton wants you to think it isn’t, but it’s not really up to him. When a judge ruled Friday that Texas could not investigate parents for child abuse simply for providing gender-affirming care, it was immediately clear that the … Continue reading →

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How Republicans bullied a gender affirming care clinic into closing

Posted on March 14, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Gross. Leaders of a now-defunct health clinic — known for years as the largest program of its kind for transgender youth in Texas — came under pressure to restrict gender-affirming care from the governor’s office and a state House investigative … Continue reading →

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Texas sues to keep federal funds that would be denied for bullying trans kids

Posted on March 13, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The utter gall, it’s breathtaking. Texas is worried it could lose over a billion dollars in federal funding over Gov. Greg Abbott’s directive requiring medical professionals to report transgender children receiving gender-affirming health care as potential child abuse. Texas Attorney … Continue reading →

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Statewide injunction issued against Abbott/Paxton witch hunt

Posted on March 12, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Some good news to end the week. State District Judge Amy Clark Meachum ruled Friday that providing gender-affirming care is not a reason for the state to investigate a family for child abuse, and halted all such investigations. The statewide … Continue reading →

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Ken Paxton repays the Briggle family for their hospitality

Posted on March 11, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

What a scumbag he is. When the case worker asked to inspect the house, Amber and Adam Briggle first led her to the kitchen. They opened the cabinets to show they were full of food. They moved on to the … Continue reading →

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Appeals court denies Paxton appeal of gender affirming care order

Posted on March 10, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Good. A Texas appeals court sided with the parents of a transgender teenager in a ruling Wednesday, rejecting Attorney General Ken Paxton’s efforts to allow a child abuse investigation to proceed. The ruling will allow a lower court to hold … Continue reading →

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Paxton appeals gender affirming care order

Posted on March 5, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Of course he did. Attorney General Ken Paxton filed for an appeal Thursday after a state judge blocked Texas’ child protection agency from investigating the parents of a transgender teenager who received gender-affirming medical care. District Judge Amy Clark Meachum … Continue reading →

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Investigation into trans teen’s family halted

Posted on March 3, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a start. A state judge blocked Texas’ child protection agency from investigating the parents of a transgender teenager who received gender-affirming medical care, citing the “irreparable injury” they would likely suffer. District Judge Amy Clark Meachum’s ruling does not … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit filed to block investigation of gender-affirming care for trans teenager

Posted on March 2, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This was inevitable. I very much hope it is successful. The state of Texas is investigating a family for child abuse after the parents obtained gender-affirming care for their 16-year-old transgender daughter. It’s believed to be among the first of … Continue reading →

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Some DAs refuse to enforce Abbott’s anti-trans order

Posted on February 25, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

More like this, please. District attorneys in five of the largest counties in Texas on Thursday announced that they will not comply with Gov. Greg Abbott’s (R) and state attorney general Ken Paxton’s (R) directive that state agencies begin investigating … Continue reading →

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