Texas Scorecard reports that the court is forcing Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, or PFLAG, to produce documents regarding gender manipulation procedures on minors. The group has been fighting demands made by the Texas Office of Attorney General since early 2024.
In 2023, Texas passed Senate Bill 14 (SB 14) — a state law that prohibits the gender manipulation of children for so-called "gender transitioning, gender reassignment, or gender dysphoria" purposes.
The Texas Attorney General has "sought to determine whether medical providers are misleading insurers and others by billing treatments outlawed by SB 14 as treatments for lawful purposes." Such a mischaracterization would also be in violation of the Deceptive Trade Practices Act (DTPA).
PFLAG was one of several organizations a part of a lawsuit to stop the bill’s implementation. An affidavit from PFLAG’s executive director caused the OAG to believe that the organization had relevant information regarding their investigation into violations of DTPA and SB14.
Mary Elizabeth Castle is the director of government relation at Texas Values. She thinks the court is trying to get to the heart of the matter.
"That a lot of these advocacy organizations like PFLAG, like the Human Rights Campaign, they do assist kids with helping them get gender transitions. They're not just an organization that shows up to lobby or testify or holds parades,” Castle states.
She reiterates how many of these organizations help children get these type of procedures.
“So, I think this is the right move, and hopefully, we can find out more information so we can protect Texas children," Castle says.
She says knowing what the organization has been doing in terms of outreach to children regarding gender manipulation procedures would be beneficial.
"Plain and simple, these procedures are irreversible. You are telling a child that the way that God made them is wrong. They're going to get these hormones, these puberty blockers and these really strong drugs that does incredible damage to their reproductive system, to their body,” Castle states.
She also says these kids are cutting off healthy body parts, which cannot be put back on.
“And so, causing children to go through this irreversible damage is psychologically damaging, physically damaging, and of course, it's just morally wrong," Castle concludes.
