New Bills in Texas Legislature Seek to Criminalize Sex-Change Procedures on Children

Screenshot from video recorded by undercover, independent journalist Tayler Hansen showing conservative opponents of the new Transparent Closet at the First Christian Church promoted at a Drag Bingo event billed as a "family friendly" event that featured a drag show in Katy, Texas on Sept. 24, 2022. With permission from Tayler Hansen

Two bills in the Texas House of Representatives aim to make providing “gender-affirming health care” to children on par with child abuse and possibly even a felony.

House Bill 42, filed by State Rep. Bryan Slaton (R-Royse City), seeks to broaden the definition of child abuse to include “the purpose of attempting to change or affirm a child’s perception of the child’s sex if that perception is inconsistent with the child’s biological sex as determined by the child’s sex organs, chromosomes, and endogenous hormone profiles.”

Slaton had also announced over the summer he would introduce legislation that would ban minors from attending drag shows in the state, saying “drag shows are no place for children,” and that a law was necessary to protect minors from “perverted adults.”

Separate pieces of legislation filed by State Rep. Steve Toth (R-Woodlands) would go a step further than Slaton’s bill on the issue of sex-reassignment therapy. Under Toth’s legislation, a physician could have their professional liability insurance policy revoked for offering gender reassignment treatments, and violations could even potentially result in a second-degree felony.

This is not the first time gender-affirming healthcare has come under scrutiny in Texas. In February, Attorney General Ken Paxton released a formal opinion that concluded performing certain “sex-change” procedures on children was the equivalent of child abuse.

“There is no doubt that these procedures are ‘abuse’ under Texas law, and thus must be halted,” said Paxton. “The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) has a responsibility to act accordingly. I’ll do everything I can to protect against those who take advantage of and harm young Texans.”

Attorney General Paxton’s opinion prompted Governor Greg Abbott to order state child welfare officials to begin investigations of child abuse after reports of children receiving sex-reassignment therapy.

The Texas Legislature has been dominated by the Republican Party for years and has targeted transgender individuals in the past, and even succeeded in limiting the participation of transgender students in athletic events as early as last year.

Advocates for transgender children and their families, meanwhile, say what Texas state officials are doing is “dangerous and cruel.”

Equality Texas published an issue brief stating, “When transgender adolescents face loss of the care, in its various forms, that affirms who they are, it can have devastating consequences. One South Dakota parent called the bill that advanced there a “hope stealer.”

The Epoch Times reached out to the legislators mentioned in this story for comment but did not receive a response.