AUSTIN, Texas — It’s the latest pushback against Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton.
On Wednesday at 9 a.m., City of Austin and Travis County leaders gathered to proclaim Austin a safe and inclusive city for transgender families and the LGBTQ+ community.
Austin Mayor Steve Adler, Travis County Judge Andy Brown, Travis County District Attorney José Garza, Democratic state Rep. Gina Hinojosa as well as leaders of Austin's LQBTQ+ community and others condemned the recent actions of Gov. Greg Abbott and state Attorney General Ken Paxton.
The event came in the wake of a directive by Abbott instructing the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services to investigate some gender-affirming care procedures for transgender children as child abuse.
Abbott’s directive came following an opinion by Paxton stating that transgender care procedures for youth including sex-change procedures and the prescription of puberty-blocking drugs constitutes child abuse under state law.
“Austin is a magical place built on inclusiveness and respect. That’s why this directive is so out of place," Adler said. "We have a history of inclusion in our city – it’s who we are.”
Those gathered said Abbott's directive could lead to an increase in hate crimes against transgender youth as well as a host of medical and social problems such as depression and isolation.
Despite the fact that Abbott’s directive has no corresponding law, it has had immediate effects.
On Monday, the nation’s largest pediatric hospital announced it has stopped gender-affirming therapies. Texas Children’s Hospital, located in Houston, announced that its decision to stop such hormone-related prescription therapies was made after it reviewed Abbott’s order
“The mission of Texas Children’s Hospital is to create a healthier future for all children, including transgender children, within the bounds of the law ... This step was taken to safeguard our health care professionals and impacted families from potential criminal legal ramifications,” the hospital wrote in a statement released Friday.
After the hospital’s announcement, Paxton tweeted Friday, “Glad to hear that today Texas Children’s Hospital halted their child-abuse procedures.”
Abbott’s directive drew a lawsuit from the ACLU of Texas, and last week a judge issued a temporary order halting the investigation by the Department of Family and Protective Services into the parents of a 16-year-old transgender girl.
Paxton’s office is appealing the ruling. The appeal stays a hearing District Judge Amy Clark Meachum had scheduled for March 11 on whether to issue a broader temporary order blocking enforcement of Abbott’s directive.
Spectrum News 1 will air Wednesday’s proclamation by city and county leaders in its entirety.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.