moyieMar 2
Erin Reed
1. This morning, Texas AG Ken Paxton just released a chilling new declaration: Mental health therapists, counselors, and psychologists must cease affirming trans youth - using their name and pronouns - or potentially face child abuse charges and loss of licensure. Its a horrifying escalation.

Texas AG Paxton Declares Thera...
Texas AG Paxton Declares Therapists Affirming Trans Youth To Be Illegal And Child Abuse

The declaration echoes his 2022 efforts to target parents of trans youth with child abuse, and may force conversion therapy on trans youth in the state.

Erin In The Morning
Mar 2 at 6:44pmWeb
Show threadErin ReedMar 2
2. AG Paxton of Texas announced a new interpretation of state law that would extend the state's ban on gender-affirming care for minors to mental health providers, declaring that any therapist who affirms a trans youth's identity is "facilitating" illegal treatment and committing child abuse.
Show threadErin ReedMar 2
3. Under the new interpretation, any therapist in the state could find their license pulled, lose the ability to take Medicaid dollars, or even risk child abuse charges if they provide gender-affirming care, according to the seven-page legal opinion released alongside the press release.

texasattorneygeneral.gov/sites/default/...
Show threadErin ReedMar 2
4. Under his interpretation, therapists, counselors, psychologists and social workers who provide gender-affirming mental health care would be barred from receiving any public funding, including Medicaid, and could face revocation of their licenses and criminal penalties.
Show threadErin ReedMar 2
5. The opinion also invokes mandatory reporting requirements, meaning therapists could be legally obligated to report colleagues and potentially the parents of transgender children as well.
Show threadErin ReedMar 2
6. On page six, the opinion explicitly reaffirms Paxton's 2022 child abuse declaration, adding that even "the failure to stop a doctor or another parent from conducting these treatments or procedures on a minor child" could carry the same consequence.
Show threadErin ReedMar 2
7. The opinion also seems to mandate conversion therapy, saying that therapists must now work on "stabilizing," "alleviating," or "overcoming" a child's underlying "mental, emotional, or behavioral" condition, meaning being transgender.
Show threadErin ReedMar 2
8. The implication is clear: if affirming transgender youth is child abuse and disallowed under Texas law in this interpretation, then a therapist's professional duty is to help trans youth "overcome" being transgender.
Show threadErin ReedMar 2
9. The opinion is the latest escalation in a years-long campaign by Republicans to weaponize every arm of state power against transgender youth. If enforced, it could make Texas the most hostile state in the country for transgender young people.
Show threadErin ReedMar 2
10. Lastly, EITM is an award-winning media outlet covering LGBTQ+ news every day. You can subscribe to support our journalism at www.erininthemorning.com/subscribe.

Subscribe to Erin In The Morni...
Subscribe to Erin In The Morning

News and discussion on trans legislation and life. Click to read Erin In The Morning, by Erin Reed, a Substack publication with hundreds of thousands of subscribers.

Show threadHextellaMar 2
It’s 2003, I’m wondering: will texas just secede already? It’s 2009, I’m wondering: will texas just secede already? …. It’s 2026, I’m wondering: can we get everyone queer out of Texas….and then, will Texas just secede already?
Show threadHextellaMar 2
My way of saying, fuck you Texas you losers.
Show threadNazaniMar 3
@erininthemorning.com Brain drain, ahoy.
Show threadGrumble 🇺🇸 🇺🇦 🇬🇱Mar 4

@erininthemorning.com In other news, the immanent shortage of licensed therapists in Texas has driven up therapy costs beyond the reach of almost all insurance plans.

Coincidentally, therapy costs in New Mexico are falling due to the influx of new therapists unexpectedly relocating from Texas.

Ha ha - all fiction. I was telling what happened to ObGyn care in Idaho after they passed all of their anti-abortion idiocy, and how that's led to even rural hospitals in Washington getting affordable maternity care from being able to hire staff that fled Idaho.