Facebook / Equality Texas
LGBTQ+ advocates speak out against bills targeting transgender children during an earlier rally at the Texas Capitol.
The lawsuit filed in Travis County District Court argues that the controversial Senate Bill 14 — one of seven bills signed by Gov. Greg Abbott this legislative session attacking the rights of LGBTQ+ Texans — violates the state constitution and fundamental rights to parental autonomy.
Under SB 14, Texas physicians face the loss of their medical licenses if they provide youth experiencing gender dysphoria with puberty blockers or similar care. The bill also would prohibit using taxpayer dollars for transgender treatments.
The courts have struck down similar laws banning gender-affirming care in Arkansas and barring Medicaid from paying for transgender health care in Florida, attorneys for the Texas families said during a Thursday morning conference call.
"There is no lawful justification for interfering with the medical necessity provision of care that promotes the health and wellbeing of transgender youth," Lambda Legal Senior Counsel Paul Castillo told reporters. "Texans and their parents have the right to access health care that they need, just like everyone else."
Specifically, Castillo argued the SB 14's discriminatory nature violates the Texas Constitution's guarantee of equal rights and also is an affront to physicians' rights to occupational freedom.
Working with civil-rights groups including the Transgender Law Center, PFLAG National and the Transgender Education Network of Texas, the ACLU and the suing families want to block SB 14 in its entirety before it's allowed to go into effect on Sept. 1.
"Texas continues to be one of the most dangerous and hostile places for transgender people and their families," said Emmett Schelling, executive director of the Transgender Education Network of Texas. "We will continue to support all avenues in this fight against transphobia and hate. Access to healthcare is a crucial part of our community's livelihood just like anyone else's."
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