Gregory Wayne Abbott (born November 13, 1957) is an American attorney who has served as the 48th governor of Texas since January 20, 2015. A member of the Republican Party, Abbott previously served as the 50th attorney general of Texas from 2002 to 2015. He is the third governor of any U.S. state to permanently use a wheelchair. He is also the first disabled governor in Texas history.
Biden, HHS condemn Texas order against transition-related care for trans youth
Amid consternation over an order from the Texas governor designating transition-related care for transgender youth as child abuse, President Joe Biden and Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra issued a pair of statements Wednesday night condemning the move.Biden in the March 2 statement issued by the White House called the order from Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) "a cynical and dangerous campaign targeting transgender children and their parents.""This is government overreach at its worst.
Like so many anti-transgender attacks proliferating in states across the country, the governor's actions callously threaten to harm children and their families just to score political points," Biden stated. "These actions are terrifying many families in Texas and beyond.
And they must stop."The statement comes one day after Biden delivered his first State of the Union address, when he reiterated his pledge to have the backs of transgender youth as he repeated his call to pass the LGBTQ Equality Act.Biden also spoke out on the same night as a federal court in Texas issued a temporary restraining order partially blocked the governor's order in a move that stops the state from investigating parents named in the lawsuit, which was filed by American Civil Liberties Union and Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund.Becerra similarly condemned the Texas order as among the recent "attacks against transgender youth and those who love and care for them are discriminatory and unconscionable.""These actions are clearly dangerous to the health of transgender youth in Texas.
