Protecting the Children of Texas

 Protecting the Children of Texas

Governor Abbot wants to protect the children of Texas.   If given the opportunity, he would be thrilled to protect all of the children in the United States.  Right now, he does not have that authority nationwide but he does in Texas.  The Governor knows he cannot do this alone.  He will need to enlist the help of friends, neighbors, medical providers, and educators.  Not sure yet if these “protectors” of children will get little tin badges to show they are all sworn deputies to make Pariahs out of innocent children.

So, here’s the issue- transgender children!!   Yes, you may not realize it but these children need protection and the way to provide that protection is to label ANY treatment by the medical profession as child abuse and to recommend that the providers be subject to criminal penalties.  He is also directing the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) to investigate any parents who seek any gender-transitioning services to help their children.  The goal here is to strip children of their first and most important ally- their parents.   Will kids be afraid to talk with their families for fear of having their parents investigated?   Will parents be afraid to discuss issues with medical providers for fear of being reported as “abusive” in the Governor’s words.

There is clearly a competition going on between the governors of Texas and Florida.   How right wing can we get?   In Florida, teachers are not allowed to discuss sexual orientation or gender identity.  If you went to Disney with your two dads this weekend, PLEASE don’t discuss that in school.  In Florida, only traditional nuclear families can be discussed. Exactly how many of those are left?  The answer to that question is 18%, the lowest since 1959.    Looks like most of the kids won’t be able to discuss what they did on summer vacation or winter break.   You could go to jail for that.

The American Academy of Pediatrics, you know the folks who went to school to learn how to treat children, has supported “comprehensive gender affirming and developmentally appropriate health care” for transgender youth.  Greg Abbott went to law school, wonder what courses covered that topic.  

This posture by the Governor is isolating families, turning the people who should be helping families into spies for the government and potentially making families re-think just how much protection do their children need and is Texas the best state to get that protection.