FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 23, 2022
CONTACTS:
Christopher Vasquez, NCLR Director of Communications
415.365.1337 | cvasquez@nclrights.org
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – This week, Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued an order purporting to direct child welfare agents in the state to “investigate” parents who support their transgender children. The move comes days after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a non-binding opinion claiming that state law prohibits parents from seeking medically necessary – and often lifesaving – gender-affirming care for transgender children.
Statement from NCLR Transgender Youth Project Director Asaf Orr on Gov. Abbott’s order:
“We are disgusted by Governor Abbott’s attack on families and by his strong-arm tactics, which are more appropriate to a dictatorship than to a democracy. These families and their children are part of our communities, and they deserve support, not government surveillance. Parents have a right to seek the best medical care for their children, and parent – not the government –know best what is right for their own families. We encourage anyone who has been affected by this policy, regardless of whether you are family or healthcare provider, to please contact NCLR’s Transgender Youth Project at (800) 528-6257 or at info@nclrights.org.”
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The National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) is a national legal organization committed to advancing the human and civil rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community through litigation, public policy advocacy, and public education. Since its founding, NCLR has maintained a longstanding commitment to racial and economic justice and the LGBTQ community’s most vulnerable. https://www.nclrights.org