Leaders declare Austin a 'safe and inclusive city' for transgender families
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin will officially recognize March 9 as Transgender Youth and Family Safety Day.
Mayor Steve Adler read a proclamation declaring it so during an event Wednesday morning with several other local leaders, which aimed to show local support for families with transgender children and the LGBTQ community.
"Austin should be considered a safe place, a sanctuary, for transgender children and their families," Adler said while reading aloud the proclamation.
He and other speakers decried a directive issued by Gov. Greg Abbott last month. Abbott directed the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services to look into reported instances of children receiving gender-transitioning health services. The move prompted protests at the Texas State Capitol as well as pushback from local leaders. On March 1, the Travis County Commissioners Court issued its own proclamation in solidarity with transgender youth and the LGBTQIA+ community.
The parents of a 16-year-old transgender girl filed a lawsuit that claims the state is already looking into them for abuse. They asked a judge to block DFPS from investigating them as well as the parents of other transgender youth under Abbott's directive. A Travis County district judge ordered a temporary halt to the state's investigation into this family, but Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton immediately filed an appeal to reverse the judge's decision.
Texas Rep. Gina Hinojosa, D-Austin, said Wednesday the governor's directive will stretch resources thin at the embattled Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, which has faced intense scrutiny in the courts for treatment of children in the foster care system. Hinojosa serves as vice chair of the House committee that provides oversight of DFPS.
"No, there are not resources. There is not time. There is not staff to direct toward this aim," Hinojosa said. "Even if we had all the resources in the world, it is not appropriate. It is a sad state of affairs when we use those resources to go after loving Texas families who are doing the best they know how to do following the advice and the guidance of medical doctors."
Advocates for the LGBTQ community expressed concern Wednesday that Abbott's order combined with the legal opinion issued recently by Attorney General Ken Paxton will lead to more suicides, hate crimes and bullying targeting young people. Paxton stated his interpretation of Texas law qualifies gender-affirming procedures, including the administration of puberty-blocking drugs, doses of testosterone or estrogen and reassignment surgeries, as child abuse under Texas Family Code section 261.
Previously, Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee, whose office represents DFPS in child abuse cases in the Houston area, said he will not be taking on any of these investigations.
Adler dedicated Wednesday's proclamation to Kai Shappley, an 11-year-old transgender girl, who began crying when the mayor handed her the document. She gained recognition for her activism opposing different pieces of Texas legislation. Earlier this year, Time Magazine named Shappley a finalist for Kid of the Year.