For the first time since last year’s ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth, Texas has indicted a doctor who allegedly provided gender-affirming care to 21 children. Although such legislation goes against the guidance of numerous organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Psychological Association (APA), and the Endocrine Society, Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) has advocated for gender-affirming care (which he included in his official statement (in quotation marks) are, “experimental and there is no scientific evidence to support their purported benefits.”
Dr. May Lau is the medical director of the Adolescent Clinic at Children’s Medical Center Dallas and an associate professor of pediatrics at UT Southwestern Medical Center. According to her resume at UTSouthwestern, she specializes in adolescent sexual and reproductive health, including gender dysphoria. new york times She also worked at a transgender youth health care clinic until it closed in 2021 amid political pressure from Gov. Greg Abbott (R), the report said.
Texas is one of 26 states with laws prohibiting children from receiving gender-affirming care, which states that providing “surgery, puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones” to change a child’s biological sex or affirm a child’s belief in their gender identity is illegal. In a statement, Paxton classified the treatments as “irreversible and damaging.” This is contrary to the message of the APA, which only lists gender confirmation surgery as absolutely irreversible. However, in a recent study, researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that almost no such surgeries are performed on transgender minors, and in fact, similar surgeries, such as breast reduction for cisgender boys, are more common. common.
Liu is accused of prescribing testosterone to the transgender boy when the patient, his family, and his health care provider deemed it appropriate, in compliance with the recommendations of the APA and other regulated medical organizations. Paxton and the state of Texas are seeking an injunction against Liu and a fine of US$10,000 ($210,000) per violation.
Similar anti-trans legislation has been successfully challenged elsewhere in the country. Bans in Arkansas and Florida were overturned by federal judges. In December, the Supreme Court will hear United States v. Skrmetti, the Biden administration’s challenge to Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors. However, its chances of success are uncertain given the court’s conservative majority.
Over the past decade, a series of laws, some targeting minors primarily, have become increasingly common. The Transgender Legislation Tracker finds 2024 to be the most prolific year for legislation yet. Of the 642 bills they are tracking nationwide so far, 181 are related to health care. While not all of these bills have passed the introduction stage, and many have been defeated, the significant year-on-year increase shows that these attacks on LGBTQ+ youth, linked to adverse mental health outcomes for trans children, are a serious problem. Issues that must continue to be considered.
