Appeals Court Upholds Injunction Banning Texas from investigating Families With Trans Children

The ruling is a lifesaving win for transgender children and families who remain in Texas to celebrate during the Transgender Day Of Visibility. Conversely, it's a sad reminder of their life before being forced to flee for those who have sought refuge.

The Texas Court of Appeals, Third District, today upheld injunctions in two related cases against the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) and former Commissioner Jaime Masters, barring them from implementing the agency’s rule expanding the definition of child abuse to presumptively treat the provision of gender-affirming care as child abuse, the ACLU of Texas said in a press release Friday.

The legal battle began after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, ordered the state agency in February 2022 to launch investigations into parents who provide their children with the treatment, which has been deemed safe, effective and potentially lifesaving by many major medical groups but was banned in September by state law, CNN reports.

The governor’s order came shortly after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton declared gender-affirming surgical procedures in children and prescribing drugs affecting puberty should be considered child abuse. Abbott ordered the Department of Family and Protective Services commissioner “to conduct a prompt and thorough investigation of any reported instances of these abusive procedures in the State of Texas.” Within two weeks of the directive, the state had opened at least nine investigations of families, according to the department.

The court of appeals upheld a trial court decision in the Friday order, ruling in favor of LGBTQ+ advocates and families in two related Texas lawsuits asking a state court to block the agency from investigating parents who provide their children with gender-affirming care.

Transgender Day of Visibility events in Texas: Thinking Globally Acting Locally

The International Transgender Day of Visibility often referred to as the TDOV or Trans Day of Visibility is an annual event occurring on March 31 dedicated to celebrating transgender people and raising awareness of discrimination faced by transgender people worldwide, as well as a celebration of their contributions to society.

The event was created by transgender activist Rachel Crandall of Michigan in 2009 as a reaction to the lack of LGBTQ+ recognition of transgender people, citing the frustration that the only well-known transgender-centered day was the Transgender Day of Remembrance, which mourned the murders of transgender people, but did not acknowledge and celebrate living members of the transgender community. The first International Transgender Day of Visibility was held on March 31, 2009. - Wikipedia

For me, as a transgender person living in Texas, one of the red states that have so ruthlessly persecuted our community, it's a day to be out and about supporting our community. It's about changing the trans narrative from pain to joy.

lgbtqnation: Joe Biden calls trans people “fabric of our nation” in Trans Day of Visibility proclamation.

In Their Words: Four Texans speak on Transgender Day of Visibility

It's also a day to celebrate and build allyship as so succinctly stated in this video.

The TDOV is a day to think globally and act locally. There are TDOV events worldwide but most occur in the US today out of necessity or perhaps out of respect for Christianity's holy day Easter, which happens to fall on the same day this year.

Reuters Fact Check: Transgender Day of Visibility falls annually on March 31, not always at Easter.

Here are some TDOV events happening in Texas today through Tuesday.

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"Disclosure" Screening + TDOV Panel: Krista V. King, Moderator | LIVESTREAM ONLY Free on line only donation is asked for but not required. Register here

Houston Trot for Trans Visibility Houston 5K Fun Run is Sold Out!

Amarillo Area Transgender Advocacy Group AATAG Starting at 1pm will have an egg hunt, booths, drag show, live band, dancers and lots of fun!

Austin Celebrate Trans Day of Visibility at Gender Unbound’s second annual Community Picnic and Art Market!

Dallas

Trans Day of Visibility Celebration begins at 4 pm. Sunday events:

Austin March 31 Celebrate Trans Day of Visibility at Gender Unbound’s second annual Community Picnic and Art Market!

Tuesday April 2, 2024.

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The Montrose Center in Houston is celebrating TDoV on April 2. From 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., there’ll be a DJ, food trucks, community speakers and local trans organizations in the center’s parking lot at 401 Branard St. Anyone who needs water or a space to cool off can go inside to Room 106/107.

What a second Trump presidency would mean to the LGBT community

PBS White House Correspondent Laura Barrón-López gives a realistic and frightening look at what a second trump term would mean.

Project 2025 first goal is to eradicate trans people. After that, according to the heretic foundation's game plan, everything will fall into place.

Argentina Court Convicts Former officers of Hate Crimes Against Trans People

"Judges overseeing a high-profile human rights trial in Argentina convicted 11 former officials of crimes against humanity on Tuesday, in the first case to focus on the former military dictatorship's overlooked practice of committing sexual violence against transgender women," the AP reported from Buenos Aires

"In the highly anticipated verdict, 10 defendants were sentenced to life in prison and one to 25 years in prison for their roles in a scheme of violent repression that included killing, torture, sexual violence and the abduction of children born in captivity, among other alleged crimes that took place across four clandestine detention centers in the province of Buenos Aires. The judges acquitted one former official, reports the AP.

"The trial at the court in La Plata, a southern suburb of the capital, spanned nearly four years and added new details and insight to previously chronicled atrocities, deepening the nation's understanding of its traumatic history. Transgender plaintiffs took the witness stand for the first time in a series of chilling hearings that put a spotlight both on the suffering of the transgender community and on the widespread tactic of sexual violence under the right-wing dictatorship that ruled Argentina from 1976 to 1983

Tuesday's trial involved 600 victims and testimonies from hundreds of witnesses that dredged up accounts of sexual abuse specifically targeting transgender women, as well as cases of soldiers stealing babies from their detained mothers before handing them over for adoption to members of the dictatorship and their loyalists. A former police doctor who oversaw the births of women in captivity was among those who received a life sentence.

The current government denied the existence of systemic transphobia and hate. In a statement it said that the state was in a war against gorillas and people died on both sides, igniting massive protests.

Amancay Diana Sacayan

In memory of trans activist Amancay Diana Sacayan. Diana was one of the first trans-Argentinians to change her legal documents. She was murdered on October 11, 2015, just one month after the current laws protecting the transgender community that she campaigned for were enacted.

Indepth: Víctor Hugo Robles 2012 interview of Diana Sacayan.

Gabriel David Marino, was found guilty of gender hate and violence against the trans community and was given a life sentence by unanimous decision, reported Agencia Presentes. He was the first person to be convicted and sentenced under the Hate crime laws that Diana Sacayan had campaigned for.

Marino was denied parole in 2020 when he asked to be released during the pandemic.

(AP)

Trans Youth Summer Camp: a great place to be

Yesterday I saw a Facebook post, just a regular post from Trans youth equality.org asking for donations to send trans youth to their summer camp.

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It was so disturbing what I saw. The post had hundreds of hateful transphobic comments and only a couple of shares. When I returned today all of the comments had been deleted and the commenting turned off.

Why this matters to me and should matter to you regardless if you are trans or an ally.

Some of my most cherished memories are from my summers at our beloved scout camp. We canoed, hiked, slept under the stars, learned how to live in peace with nature, and even camped when it was 20 degrees below zero! I eventually was voted to attend a weekend at the camp by my troup and earned the right to call myself a Sister in the Order of the Arrow and a life scout.

Ours wasn't a trans-only camp, like the Trans youth equality.org but in the 70s and by today's standards, it was inclusive, character-building, and challenging. Reading those hateful comments one thing became clear. None of those transphobic degenerates who commented had the benefit of character-building of any kind in their youth. And that is when it became personal.

It also became clear that this is a concerted effort to harm trans and gender-expansive youth. It was so bad that for the first time, the administrators of the Trans Youth Equality Facebook page turned off comments and posted this:

"URGENT: TYEF was recently attacked in terrible ways by Libs of TikTok and Elon Musk (thanks Elon for your transphobic comment about our work and the over 20 million hateful comments you KNOW you were going to send our way), You would be shocked if you were ever confronted by the uninformed haters in the anti trans youth community.. It's very dark. We have an extremely sophisticated security system now, new layers of support and frequent contact with law enforcement including local police, the FBI and DOJ. So please note, the children and youth we serve deserve support, deserve that decisions are made by their parents and doctors and we continue to serve and educate."

"Can we all recommit to supporting trans specific orgs on the ground making a difference. Can we ask you to please make a donation to TYEF today, any amount you can afford because the assault on our org has been rough and cost us unplanned expenses. We were doxxed. If this has ever happened to you, you know how complicated and frustrating it can be. Can we get support? This is the first truly large attack on us. We are standing strong but we need you to stand with us. Or ask about volunteer positions, ways to help, raise some funds....etc. Thanks for listening. We have been doing this work for almost 20 years, from a time there was little to no support anywhere in this country for trans youth. We have great stories, great people who have helped, amazing kids served. We thank each of you for helping us afford to keep going over the years. We will get thru this time.We love each of our allies. please donate.

TYEF is a 501c3 non profit. We are grateful to you. *please note that we have turned off comments on all of our posts though we love to hear your responses. What we do not need is this forum to be used for hate instead of a safe place to be and to share.

Trans man Alex Taylor Franco found murdered in Utah Desert

The body of transgender 21 year old Alex "Boo" Taylor Franco, 21, was found March 18, in Lehi, Utah with a single gunshot wound.

Alex, born Dec. 16, 2002, had just earned a scholarship to attend college and was loved by friends and family making his death especially tragic.

Three teens have been arrested.

Fox News Utah reports that two teens were originally arrested and on the 21st a third suspect was arrested.

The third teenager involved in the case, who was only identified as a 17-year-old boy, was taken into custody early Thursday morning, Taylorsville Police reported.

On Wednesday, the two other involved teens, ages 17 and 15 years old, appeared in court for a detention hearing.

During the hearing, it was revealed by the judge that the teens met up with Franco to sell him a gun.

Taylorsville Police said in an updated release Thursday that the teens intended to rob Franco of the money he planned to use to buy the gun.

When Franco got inside their vehicle, a white Jeep Liberty, an argument began and eventually led to Franco being killed by a single gunshot, court information reported.

A statement from law enforcement said the 15-year-old later told his girlfriend he shot and killed Franco with a 9 mm handgun. Additionally, the 17-year-old arrested Tuesday admitted he was the driver of the vehicle while Franco was being held against his will.

Taylorsville Police said there is no evidence of the case involving any hate crime or being gang or drug-related, according to Fox 13.

All three are in custody charged with various felonies in connection with the murder.

The transgender-led project TDOR Remembering Our Dead reports that 27 people have died of violence in the US from October 2023 through February 2024. We mourn our dead every November during TDOR ceremonies held across the world.

The family has asked that in lieu of flowers donations are being accepted to help with funeral costs.

Rest in peace Alex "Boo" Taylor Franco December 16, 2002 - March 17, 2024.

The Republican's unrelenting war on transgender youth is taking a toll

A mother with her trans daughter at the Arkansas State House protest
Used with permission

To justify laws targeting trans children, GOP legislators have recently looked to a conservative-led country, England, and its failed system of socialized healthcare. They routinely mischaracterize the NHS decision not to give hormone blockers to youth under 16 as a total country-wide ban.

They fail to note that the NHS is a bungling bureaucratic behemoth that takes years, even a decade to begin the process of determining if a person is even eligible to receive hormone blockers. Anyone in the UK who can afford it has long ago gone to the private sector for their Transgender healthcare.

GOP legislators also don't mention that every creditable medical and physiological association in the US and Europe fully supports gender medical transition regardless of age. In fact, the American Psychological Association (APA) just overwhelmingly passed a policy in February 2024 to that effect.

The AP reports that "legislators in at least two U.S. states are citing a recent decision in England to restrict gender transitions for young people as support for their own related proposals."

"They weren’t the first to turn to other countries, notably in Europe, for policy and research ideas. Lawmakers across the U.S., where at least 23 states now have tightened or removed access to transgender health care for minors, have routinely cited non-U.S. research or policies as justification for their legislation."

And that these red states lawmakers are continuing to target trans youth despite leading health organizations in the United States and Europe decisively endorsing gender-affirming care for both transgender youths and adults.

The end game: Total eradication of transgender people, nothing less than gendercide.

Republicans know that if they can keep trans youth from medically transitioning they will be easy targets for their politically motivated discriminatory legislation such as athletic and public accommodation and adult healthcare bans. They often cite the physiological differences that they create by denying youth hormone blockers as the reason for the discriminatory laws that they endorse.

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It's all in the plan to eradicate transgender and gender-expansive people as advocated for by The Heritage Foundations Project 2025.

These legislators couldn't care less about transgender children. And their hate isn't justified biblically. It's all in the Bible. God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit have called us by name and shown us that we are loved.

 It's all political. The Republican party is now what Southern Democrats used to be. The party of hate.

Related

Massive Defeat For Anti-Trans And Anti-LGBTQ+ Riders In Spending Bill As Dems Hold Firm

Minn. Court of Appeals Sends Trans Discrimination Case Back to District Court

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On Monday the Minnesota Court of Appeals affirmed that discrimination against transgender people is against the law. It then sent Cooper vs. USA Powerlifting back to the district court so it could clarify why transgender woman JayCee Cooper was not allowed to compete.

"USA Powerlifting did not exclude JayCee Cooper because of her gender identity," the organization's lead attorney Ansis V. Viksnins told Fox News Digital in a statement. "USA Powerlifting excluded her from competing in the women’s division because of her physiology: she enjoys strength advantages over other women because she went through puberty as a man."

The APA defines a transgender person as: "Transgender is an umbrella term for persons whose gender identity, gender expression or behavior does not conform to that typically associated with the sex to which they were assigned at birth. Gender identity refers to a person’s internal sense of being male, female or something else; gender expression refers to the way a person communicates gender identity to others through behavior, clothing, hairstyles, voice or body characteristics."

The above video is from Feb 3, 2021 before USA Powerlifting appealed the district court ruling.

Gender Justice, the orgainization that represents JayCee Cooper said in a statement, "Today the Minnesota Court of Appeals affirmed that discrimination against athletes based on gender identity violates the Minnesota Human Rights Act, but sent the case of a transgender woman who was denied entry into USA Powerlifting (USAPL) competitions back to a district court to determine whether USAPL rejected her because she is transgender."

“The Court of Appeals affirmed that it is illegal to discriminate against transgender people in sports, but sent the case back down for trial to determine whether that is what happened here,” said Jess Braverman, legal director for Gender Justice. “We believe that it is crystal clear that JayCee Cooper experienced exactly this kind of discrimination, and we are confident that the courts will ultimately agree.

“We remain committed to vindicating Ms. Cooper’s rights and advocating for a future where everyone, regardless of gender identity, has equal access to a full range of opportunities in sports and every life pursuit. Our fight continues for fairness, equality, and the basic human rights of transgender people in Minnesota and beyond.”

Attorneys on the case are Jess Braverman, Christy Hall, and Sara Jane Baldwin of Gender Justice, David Schlesinger and Riley Palmer of Nichols Kaster, and Matt Frank of Premo Frank.

Supreme Court lets stand Indiana court ruling denying parents custody of their trans daughter

Mark Thomas / Pixabay

The Supreme Court on Monday decided not to hear the appeal made by self-described 'devout Christian" parents who wanted to regain custody of their transgender daughter.

The case began in 2021 after the Indiana Department of Child Services received two reports of abuse or neglect, both related to the teen’s transgender identity, according to USA Today. One accused the parents of verbally and emotionally abusing their child because they did not accept that the teen was transgender.

According to court records on May 11, 2021, DCS received a report alleging that Mother was verbally and emotionally abusing then-sixteen-year-old Child by using rude and demeaning language toward Child regarding Child’s transgender identity, and as a result, the Child had thoughts of self-harm.

On May 21, 2021, DCS received a second report alleging that the Parents were verbally and emotionally abusing the Child because they do not accept the Child’s transgender identity, the abuse was getting worse, and the Parents were being mean to the Child due to Child’s transgender identity. A DCS family case manager (FCM) investigated reports, met with the Parents, Child, and Child’s siblings, and spoke by phone to a representative from Child’s residential school.

The FCM prepared a preliminary inquiry report (PIR), which indicated the following: Mother and Child both stated that Child had been suffering from an eating disorder for the past year but had yet to be evaluated by a medical professional; the Parents had withdrawn Child from school, and DCS was unaware of the family’s intent to enroll Child in a new school for the upcoming school year; Child had been in therapy, but the Parents had discontinued it; Child did not feel mentally and/or emotionally safe in the home; Mother said things such as “[Child’s preferred name] is the bitch that killed my son”

A "parental rights" bill that would prohibit courts from removing a minor from their home even if they were dying from abuse passed the Indiana House while this case was before the Supreme Court. The mother testified before the Indiana House Committe that she disagreed with the diagnosis of gender dysphoria her child received from multiple mental health professionals.

The bill will most likely die in the Senate Rules committee. A spokesperson for Senate President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray (R-Martinsville) said on March 13 that Bray “did not see a path forward” for the bill, both because of concerns about the policy and the ongoing lawsuit.

The mother told lawmakers her child had aged out of the system and gone no-contact after turning 18.

The Indiana Court of Appeals in October 2022 found that the Coxes’ parental rights were not violated by their child’s removal.

“The parents have the right to exercise their religious beliefs, but they do not have the right to exercise them in a manner that causes physical or emotional harm to [their] child,” the court said in its opinion.

Nex Benedict Parents: Bullying Began When Bathroom Bill Became Law

Owasso Police Body Cam

Benedict’s family told ABC News that the teen had experienced bullying from other students which began after Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed SB 6, a law that barred transgender and gender-expansive youth from using bathrooms consistent with their gender identity.

Benedict, 16, died on Feb. 8, one day after what one witness described as an assault perpetrated by others against Benedict in an Owasso High School bathroom. According to Benedict's family, Benedict was nonbinary and went by they/them pronouns.

Education department investigating bullying at Owasso schools

The American Psychological Association (APA) overwhelmingly passes policy condemning transgender healthcare bans

Oklahoma State Sen. Tom Woods doubles down on his statement calling LGBT people "Filth" in response to the death of Nex Benedict.

Glaad responds to the death of Nex Benedict with several questions. First and foremost is "Why is the police department rushing to release premature and incomplete information? As reported before, Owasso police have already rushed to release incomplete information about Nex’s death amid an ongoing investigation, admitting that doing so was not normal practice and that it was to “head off” national scrutiny."

American Medical Association (AMA) policy supports transgender and gender-expansive individuals’ use of public restrooms in line with their gender identities and opposes laws barring non-binary and transgender people's use of those facilities.

Project 2025 Primary Goal is to Eradicate Transgender People

Screenshot Stop Project 2025 Protest

The most dangerous internal threat to our constitutional federal republic is Project 2025, backed by the Heritage Foundation. These right-wing extremists understand that they need to intensify the dissatisfaction of their followers and to be successful as they have been in the past, focus that anger on transgender people. Brynn Tannehill is sounding the alarm at The New Republic

"At the 2023 Conservative Political Action Conference, Michael Knowles took the main stage and called for the “eradication of transgenderism from public life” to a standing ovation. Not long after, Project 2025 (led by the Heritage Foundation) published the “Mandate for Leadership,” a 900-plus-page blueprint for the next Republican administration. The first legislative item in the executive summary declares that “transgender ideology” is a form of pornography, and that all pornography should be outlawed. It then goes on to call all trans people “child predators and misogynistic exploiters of women.” It further demands that anyone who is a “purveyor of transgender ideology” be put on sex offender lists and imprisoned."

New episode of #ForJustice. Have you heard about Project 2025? Probably. Have you actually read it? Probably not—who has the time? We do. I take you through the introduction so that you can form your own thoughts/nightmares. It’s as bad as you’ve been told https://t.co/Vye3vXD8is

— Schemin’ for Justice (@BrooksRakim) March 1, 2024

Medical Study of Youth Transition Shows only 1% returned to Gender at Birth

Perth Children's Hospital / Wiki

A groundbreaking study published by renowned Jama Pediatrics on March 4, 2024, has shown that of 552 medically and socially transitioned children and youth only 1 percent returned to their gender at birth.

Perth Children's Hospital Gender Diversity Service's relative isolation in Western Australia put it in a unique position to look at the patients up to age 18 who were treated and determine their retransition rate. Out of the 995 enrolled patients who between 2014 and 2020, 552 had voluntarily closed their cases and only 1% returned to their gender as assigned at birth. 

The study Reidentification With Birth-Registered Sex in a Western Australian Pediatric Gender Clinic Cohort shows that of 548 individuals with closed referrals, 29 (5.3%) reportedly reidentified with their birth-registered sex before or during assessment. Two of these individuals reidentified during medical treatment, which corresponds to 1.0% of all patients who initiated medical treatment.

Erin Reed (Erin In The Morning) writes "The study contributes to a substantial body of literature indicating low detransition rates. A study of 317 transgender youth in the United States reported similar findings of low detransition or desistance rates, with only 2.5% of transgender youth identifying as cisgender after five years of follow-up. A Dutch study also reported comparably low rates. According to a review of literature by Cornell University, the regret rate for gender-affirming care ranges from 0.3% to 3.8%, depending on the study's methodology. However, this study stands out due to its very large sample size, data spanning six years of transgender care, and and which does not suffer from "loss to follow-up.”

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APA overwhelmingly passes policy supporting trans afirming healthcare and condemning transgender healthcare bans

APA overwhelmingly passes policy condemning transgender healthcare bans

APA YouTube Screenshot

The American Psychological Association, the world's largest of its kind with 157,000 members passed a policy supporting transgender Psychological and medical care. The new policy which passed overwhelmingly by a margin of 153-9 also takes the extraordinary measure of condemning transgender healthcare bans.

This policy statement affirms APA’s support for unobstructed access to health care and evidence-based clinical care for transgender, gender-diverse, and nonbinary children, adolescents, and adults.

Furthermore, this policy statement addresses the spread of misleading and unfounded narratives that mischaracterize gender dysphoria and affirming care, likely resulting in further stigmatization, marginalization, and lack of access to psychological and medical supports for transgender, gender-diverse, and nonbinary individuals.

“The adoption of this resolution reaffirms APA’s dedication to promoting inclusivity, dignity and access to quality health care for all individuals, regardless of their gender identity or expression,” said APA President Cynthia de las Fuentes, PhD. “It sends a clear message that state bans on gender-affirming care disregard the comprehensive body of medical and psychological research supporting the positive impact of such treatments in alleviating psychological distress and improving overall well-being for transgender, gender diverse and nonbinary individuals throughout their lives.”

Click the link for the four page APA Policy Statement on Affirming Evidence-BasedInclusive Care for Transgender, Gender Diverse,and Nonbinary Individuals, Addressing Misinformation,and the Role of Psychological Practice and Science

BREAKING! The results of the USTS 2020 survey of 93,329 trans and gender-diverse people have just been released. The survey indicates that 98% of respondents said that trans-affirming care has had a positive effect on their lives. However, nearly half of those surveyed said that they were either contemplating moving from their home state or already have due to trans care bans.

Indiana Federal Court Lifts Stay on Trans Health Care Devastating Hundreds

On Tuesday an Indiana federal Appeals Court without so much as an appeal lifted a stay on a legislative ban on transgender youth health care. This unilateral action signals the weaponization of the court by far-right anti-LGBT politicans in successfully circumventing established procedures for their war on transgender people.

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