Fear, Anxiety for Texas Trans Kids Under GOP Attack
Despite a temporary halt to politically motivated child abuse investigations of families with trans kids, parents and advocates say they continue to live in fear as anti-trans moral panic sweeps through the Lone Star State's GOP base voters and their leaders.
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In one particularly harmful incident, her child's teacher claimed, in front of the classroom, that the reason her child is transgender is because they were groomed by their queer parents. Their mother told us, "Once the directive hit I was terrified that the teacher would report us." Abbott's anti-trans "abuse" directive has also made the entire process of getting health care for her child fraught with risk. "It's really scary having to disclose [their] gender identity," she wrote. "Because we never know who is safe and who is a bigot." Like many families with trans kids, she's considering leaving the state, though her financial situation prevents them from leaving immediately. "We thankfully have a lot of support from friends and family that would help [us] relocate if things got worse here."
Abbott's directive has reportedly also thrown CPS into disarray. At least a half-dozen investigators have resigned over the directive. In addition to the resignations, other CPS officials filed an amicus brief on behalf of the ACLU and Lambda Legal lawsuit. Abbott's directive forces CPS officials to closely investigate every single claim of abuse involving a trans kid, and prevents them from closing the cases after they've shown the families to be safe and healthy.
Austin lawyer Tracy Harting, who is defending two Central Texas families, told us that the investigations against her clients remain open to this day, months after CPS determined that there were no signs of abuse. "It's still hanging over them like that boulder over the coyote," she said.
https://www.austinchronicle.com/news/2022-04-22/fear-anxiety-for-texas-trans-kids-under-gop-attack/
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Imagine the incredible waste of time, effort and tax payer dollars 💸
Repubs are supposed to be the small government party but they seem to want to be in every personal decision
