Battle Lines Being Drawn

I'm not sure folks outside of Texas appreciate how big a deal this is or how ominous a precedent this is setting.

Texas is not just treating all parents of transgender children as if they're child abusers; it's doing so for the principal reason that it's good partisan politics. https://t.co/bPhumLYtcX

— Steve Vladeck (@steve_vladeck) March 2, 2022

Biden: “Like so many anti-transgender attacks proliferating in states across the country, the Governor’s actions callously threaten to harm children & their families just to score political points. These actions are terrifying many families in Texas …” https://t.co/LCQQjctEyY

— Eugene Scott (@Eugene_Scott) March 3, 2022

Here is Judge Meachum's temporary restraining order blocking Texas from investigating the parents of a transgender teenager.

She's scheduled a hearing for next Friday on whether to block the state from enforcing the anti-trans directive more broadly:https://t.co/HqxLUxuOJU pic.twitter.com/ZZCBKgX2TC

— Steve Vladeck (@steve_vladeck) March 3, 2022

Oh, and:

And U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said his agency is looking into tools that would shield transgender Texans from the state's attempts to hinder access to gender-affirming care. 

“The Texas government’s attacks against transgender youth and those who love and care for them are discriminatory and unconscionable,” he said. “These actions are clearly dangerous to the health of transgender youth in Texas.”

It seems the federal government has seen Paxton’s opinion and raised it with actual laws.