Thousands have remained in the shadows following Gov. Greg Abbott’s directive calling for parents of transgender youth to be investigated for child abuse if they support medical interventions. But one family is speaking out against “state terrorism.”
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announces a tax reform plan at the State Capitol in Austin, Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2019. Abbott in February 2022 directed Texas’ child welfare agency to investigate parents of transgender children who provide their children with gender-affirming care for potential child abuse. Thousands have remained in the shadows after Gov. Greg Abbott’s directive calling for parents of transgender youth to be investigated for child abuse if they support medical interventions.
In a statement provided by attorney Ian Pittman, the Briggles said they received a call from CPS on Feb. 24, materializing a reality they had always feared would come. A Travis County district judge last week blocked enforcement of the directive for one family and a psychologist, but the state has since appealed. The civil judge will not be able to move forward on a motion to halt investigations statewide until that is resolved.As word of investigations spreads among the families of transgender children, the Briggles have stepped to the fore to talk about what the past couple years and weeks have been like.
The family has hired an attorney, informed their children about their legal rights and coordinated with a social worker who volunteered to create a home study to help document that their son is safe at home.“Have you considered how painfully necessary it is to have a stack of documents, drawings, photographs, and letters collected to prove that you love your kids, in case the state ever tries to take them away?” they wrote. “Parents of trans kids know this all too well.