‘unbelievably awful’

Judge Blocks Greg Abbott’s Anti-Trans ‘Child Abuse’ Directive

“I don’t have words for how unbelievably awful this situation is,” the parent of a trans teen testified.

A Texas judge on Friday blocked Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s directive that the state’s Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) investigate parents on grounds of child abuse for allowing a trans child to receive gender-affirming healthcare, according to local ABC affiliate KVUE. Abbott’s move had placed “multiple” families across Texas under investigation, the outlet reported. The first witness to take the stand in Judge Amy Clark Meachum’s courtroom was an investigative supervisor for DFPS’ Child Protective Services division, who herself has a transgender teen. “I want to protect my child,” she said, appearing under the pseudonym Jane Doe. “I don’t have words for how unbelievably awful this situation is.”