Greg Abbott’s reign of terror on the LGBTQ+ community has reached an ultimate height with the signing of the newest transphobic bill. This bill orders for the report of any parents who allow their underage children to transition as child abuse, which could lead to an investigation on families led by Child Protective Services and even prosecution. 

Around 42% of transgender and non-binary adolescents have attempted suicide in their lifetime, and most often it’s a lack of familial support. So what sense would it make to pluck a child who is transitioning out of a loving home and into the overcrowded, underfunded foster care system?

In September 2021, a decade-long lawsuit against the state of Texas for the deplorable conditions of its foster care system was cut short by federal judge Janis Jack. Jack explained that she was “not interested in sanctions or putting feet to the fire anymore,” and that she was more interested in finding solutions. 

In Texas, more than a quarter of foster care facilities were placed on heightened monitoring after accumulating a large number of minimum standards violations in recent years. That amounts to 127 out of the 485 licensed facilities providing placements for foster children between the years 2015 and 2020. 

In 2020 and 2021, said facilities under heightened monitoring racked up a total of 631 substantiated allegations of abuse, neglect, and/or exploitation of foster children over the five-year period, as well 14,227 minimum standards violations. 

These facts support that the Texas foster care system is extremely flawed and that a lot of the children who enter it are victims of maltreatment and poor living conditions. So why would Greg Abbott propose a bill that rips these loved and supported children from the safety of their homes and subject them to a broken system he has yet to try and fix?

This bill is a blatant act of transphobia that juxtaposes any form of logic or compassion for trans children in Texas. Greg Abbott has done virtually nothing during his term to prove his genuine disapproval of child abuse or neglect, and if he were to, the Texas foster care system is where he needs to start before tossing trans children into it for no other reason but his bigotry alone. 

Parents of trans children that support their child’s transition are doing the right thing by being unconditionally loving to their kids as any parent should. No loving parent should be at risk of losing their child for being supportive.