Thread by @TexasTribune

1/ Top Texas Republicans have directed the state’s child welfare agency to investigate whether a mother who supports her 7-year-old child’s gender transition is committing “child abuse.” #txlege bit.ly/3407rMZ

2/ Meanwhile, LGBTQ advocates say that Republican officials are exploiting misinformation and targeting an already vulnerable community to score political points. bit.ly/3407rMZ

3/ Gov. Greg Abbott declared Wednesday that two state agencies, the Department of Family and Protective Services and the Texas Attorney General’s Office, are looking into a dispute between divorced North Texas parents.

bit.ly/3407rMZ

4/ The case’s path to public discourse began with the child’s father, whose blog has generated a maelstrom of right-wing outrage, including from U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who called the child “a pawn in a left-wing political agenda.” bit.ly/3407rMZ

5/ First Assistant Attorney General Jeff Mateer declared that the child — who identifies as a girl, according to testimony from a counselor and pediatrician — is “in immediate and irrevocable danger.” bit.ly/3407rMZ

6/ In blog posts, the father has claimed his child could face “chemical castration.”

But in reality, experts say, the transition process for prepubescent children does not involve medical intervention. bit.ly/3407rMZ

7/ Instead, it consists of social affirmations like allowing children to wear the clothes they like, employ the names and pronouns they prefer, and paint their nails if they choose. bit.ly/3407rMZ

8/ During puberty, a transgender child might, with the consultation of a doctor, begin to take puberty blockers, reversible drugs that can stop puberty and the gender markers that come with it. bit.ly/3407rMZ

9/ In a court ruling Thursday that granted the parents joint custody, Dallas Judge Kim Cooks noted that there was never a court order for the child to undergo medical treatment. bit.ly/3407rMZ

10/ The mother had requested that the judge require mutual consent before the child underwent any treatment, according to @dallasnews. bit.ly/3407rMZ

@dallasnews 11/ But the mother has faced “threats, harassment and even vandalism,” according to a statement from her attorneys. She fought unsuccessfully to have the court record sealed. bit.ly/3407rMZ

@dallasnews 12/ Meanwhile, both Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton have identified the child by name in public statements. #txlege bit.ly/3407rMZ

@dallasnews 13/ And now, several Texas Republicans are proposing legislation related to the family’s dispute. bit.ly/3407rMZ

@dallasnews 14/ State Rep. Steve Toth declared that “the 1st bill I file in the 87th [legislative session] will add ‘Transitioning of a Minor’ as Child Abuse.”

State Rep. Matt Krause pledged to introduce a bill prohibiting the use of puberty blockers for children. bit.ly/3407rMZ

@dallasnews 15/ Robbie Sharp, a Houston developmental psychologist and gender therapist, said puberty blockers are critical for children who don’t identify with the puberty traits their bodies are taking on. bit.ly/3407rMZ

@dallasnews 16/ Puberty blockers also buy children and their parents time before making any decisions that are irreversible. bit.ly/3407rMZ

@dallasnews 17/17 For members of the LGBTQ community, state leaders’ move this week was reminiscent of the lead-up to the 2017 legislative fight over a “bathroom bill.” 

Read more here. bit.ly/3407rMZ #txlege