Gemma Collins feared she'd be 'locked up' over teenage self-harming

Ken Paxton, lawyers for parents of trans kids disagree on whether child abuse investigations can continue” was first published by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them — about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.Sign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.For LGBTQ mental health support, call the Trevor Project’s 24/7 toll-free support line at 866-488-7386. You can also reach a trained crisis counselor through the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by calling 800-273-8255 or texting 741741.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 legal fight was far from over.That same night, Attorney General Ken Paxton filed an appeal and then announced on Twitter that the “Democrat judge’s order permitting child abuse is frozen.”He said that “[m]uch-needed investigations [will] proceed as they should,” and noted that his “fight will continue up to the Supreme Court.”Lawyers representing the families of transgender children said they don’t believe the appeal should affect the injunction.Legal experts say this case falls into a complicated corner of the law until the appeals court weighs in.This case stemmed from a nonbinding legal opinion that Paxton issued last month, arguing that certain gender-affirming health care can constitute child abuse.