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.
Mother Jones illustration; Bob Daemmrich/ZUMA By SAMANTHA MICHAELS | smichaels@motherjones.comFor Mother JonesReprinted With Permission Back in February when Texas Gov.
Greg Abbott ordered child welfare officials to investigate the parents of transgender kids as possible abusers—simply because the parents gave their kids the health care needed to transition—a lot of people were scared and angry.
The governor’s order made national headlines as LGBTQ groups sued and families with queer kids considered whether to flee the state.
Major medical associations warned that the directive was problematic, because many trans children relied on transition-related treatments, like puberty blockers and hormone therapy, to survive and maintain their mental health.