The state of Texas' brief also argues two families with transgender kids no longer have standing to sue bc their investigations have been closed and with no finding of child abuse.
🧵Today a committee in the Texas Senate will take up bills to ban gender-affirming care for minors. This is the first time they'll debate this legislation this year.
I've been covering transgender youth in Texas for years. Here's some of what I've learned. #txlege#LGBT#LGBTQ
2/ In 2017, the focus in Texas was on the "bathroom bill." Parents of trans kids mobilized to fight it.
3/ The bathroom bill failed, and 2019 was a bit quieter on the legislative front when it came to transgender legislation.
In 2021, state legislators passed a law requiring high school athletes to play sports according to their sex at birth. dallasnews.com/news/politics/…#txlege
#SB12 to ban children from being able to attend drag shows in Texas just referred to State Affairs.
This bill — plus legislation to ban gender affirming care for minors, restrict transgender college athletes and regulate library books — are all @DanPatrick priorities. #txlege
@DanPatrick Also: A bathroom bill of sorts (yes, it's back) was just referred to House Pub Ed.
It'd require schools to have a public policy about bathroom/locker facilities not separated by sex at birth that must specifically denote which facilities fall into this category.
@DanPatrick Also recently filed: #HB4378 by @Toth_4_Texas to allow lawsuits against ppl who bring a minor to drag show that "violates the prevailing standard in the adult community for content suitable for minors."
NEW: A Texas Senate committee will debate legislation to restrict transgender athletes in collegiate sports today. You can watch the hearing live online and I will be live-tweeting about it.
2/ The case dates to June, when 3 Texas families sued the state over its decision to investigate gender-affirming care for minors.
Today, the state argued two of the families should no longer be able to sue (@mrsbriggle's and one other) bc their cases have been closed. #txlege
3/ Both @mrsbriggle and the other family's cases were closed with no finding of child abuse.
The state also said today it would **not start** new investigations if more complaints are received against families w/ trans kids who are already cleared of abuse. #txlege
1/ In October 2020, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sat down with two police officers in Austin.
He had a slew of complaints, including about the tech giant Google. He said he'd turned off location services on his phone b/c he didn't trust them. dallasnews.com/news/politics/…#txlege
2/ Paxton asked the police to turn off their recorder bc he was "fearful of public records requests."
Paxton eventually agreed to allow it to be audio recorded. We got the tape. The contents provide rare insight into the embattled AG's mindset.
3/ “I don’t need them tracking me and knowing what I’m doing,” Paxton said about Google. “It sounds paranoid, but I can’t let them — the less they know about me the better.”
#Breaking: Texas CPS has ruled out child abuse in the case of the Briggles, one of three families under state investigation for allowing their trans child to access gender-affirming care.
Several other investigations into the families of transgender children remain active, @LambdaLegal lawyer states in court.
Some families were contacted just within last few days. #txlege
@LambdaLegal Judge asks state's attorney whether investigations into gender affirming care are unique in that CPS investigators were forced to pursue these cases?
State says it has no evidence to prove either way bc investigations were put on hold once suit filed. #txlege