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.
Texas judge expands temporary order blocking investigations into families of trans youth
A Texas judge has expanded a statewide injunction blocking harmful “child abuse” investigations into parents of trans youth.
Back in February, Attorney General Ken Paxton released an official opinion denouncing gender-affirming care. He also said that the life-saving treatments should be considered “child abuse”.
Shortly after his harmful statement, Governor Greg Abbott released his own transphobic letter – which ordered the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) to start investigations into parents of trans youth. “Because the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) is responsible for protecting children from abuse, I hereby direct your agency to conduct a prompt and thorough investigation of any reported instances of these abusive procedures in the State of Texas,” he wrote.
Even though the anti-trans order was not legally binding, the DFPS began the aforementioned investigations shortly after. Over the last few months, families of trans youth and LGBTQ+ organisations have sued the state of Texas for its harmful directives – resulting in two statewide injunctions from District Judges Jan Soife and Amy Clark Meachum, respectively.
