On February 23, 2022, Texas Governor Abbott pushed his government to investigate parents of transgender children, accusing them of ‘child abuse’ for supporting them in their transition. Although the Texas courts would successfully stop this move, the fact that it occurred at all is a worrying reflection of governmental transphobic attitudes.

Under Texas family code, only those actions that harm the child in physical, mental or sexual ways, are defined as child abuse. The state governor’s attempt to uncover potential abuse in this context conveys a dangerous and prejudicial message. Plainly stated - his message is that transgender people are abnormal.

So what is the big deal about something that didn’t actually come to pass? The fact that Governor Abbott’s declaration can potentially inspire other conservative states to do something similar, but perhaps next time, with success. This will be catastrophic for transgender youths within them. As transgender people become more visible in daily life, it becomes more crucial to understand them rather than preventing them from being who they are.

Firstly, being transgender is a part of one’s identity, similarly to any other traits that contribute to who we are. As the 18th century English essayist William Hazlitt reminds us, ’Prejudice is the child of ignorance.’ It is this ignorance that defines conservative legislators like Governor Abbott. The Texas’ governor shoving heavy burdens on families is literally the worst thing he could do. Think about it - if parents are unable to

support their children in finding healthy ways to transition, these young people will find ways to do it themselves. Imagine how many more deaths and infections it would cause with surgeries completed by unprofessional doctors. Seems to me that that is what should be called ‘child abuse’.

Some argue that this policy attempts to lessen the rate of “detransitioning” later. It is true that the detransition rate in the US is 8 percent, and is the highest globally, but it is conceivable that the high percentage is caused by the lack of communication between youth and their parents. With this fundamental support, teenagers will be better informed than if they had to tackle this alone, which is what Governor Abbott suggests. Moreover, people often make decisions they regret later. If you want to decorate your body with a seriously suspect tattoo, no one criticizes you if you suddenly decide to cover it later. If mind-changing is allowed in our daily lives, then why isn’t it for our transgender youth?

And anyway, there is no guarantee that they will even change their minds.

Helping transgender youth safely transition into the body they feel they need should be paramount to any state government. The Texas governor should be ashamed of himself for using his platform to promote intolerance, and must listen to an open letter by a transgender man within his constituency. August Huerta reminds Abbott that, “A free state cannot value one life over another; and as the governor, neither should you.”

August, Huerta. ‘“We Will Persist and Prove You Wrong:" A Trans Texan's Words

For Governor Abbott.’ Them, March, 11, 2022,

https://www.them.us/story/trans-texan-open-letter-to-governor-greg-abbott.

Child Abuse Laws.’ FindLaw,

https://www.findlaw.com/family/child-abuse/child-abuse-laws.html March, 29, 2018.

GenderGP. ‘Detransition Facts and Statistics 2022: Exploding the Myths Around

Detransitioning.’ GenderGP, https://www.gendergp.com/detransition-facts/ Jun, 21,

2021.

Goodman, David, J. “Texas Court Halts Investigation of Parents Over Care for

Transgender Youth.” The New York Times published in 2, March ,2022,

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/02/us/texas-transgender-child-abuse.html.

Hazlitt, William. “On Prejudice.” Blupete,

http://www.blupete.com/Literature/Essays/Hazlitt/Prejudice.htm published in 1903.