In Texas, a letter from Governor Greg Abbott has left many parents feeling caught between two choices,

either support their transgender children or face a possible child abuse investigation.

He wants the state to investigate parents who allow their children to transition

gender, saying they should be charged with child abuse.

This came days after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a legal opinion,

saying that certain types of transgender health care, like puberty blockers or surgery,

can legally constitute child abuse.

When the governor's letter came out, that's when parents really started to panic.

To need the immediate instinct with just terror.

Annalise and Rachel are both mothers who live in Texas. We're not going to use their last names

or their children's names for their safety. Annalise says she and Rachel are merely supporting

their transgender children. No legal scholar, every major medical association of her 600,000

positions do not classify this care as abuse. In fact, both national and Texas-based health care

organizations say that gender affirming care is the best way to care for transgender children.

What's happening here is that parents and adolescents are following the recommendations of doctors.

Chase Strangio is Deputy Director for Transgender Justice with the American Civil Liberties Union.

He points out that Attorney General Paxton's opinion is non-binding. In other words,

it doesn't actually change the law. Nothing should have changed, but unfortunately,

DFPS started investigating families.

And the ACLU and Lambda Legal have filed a lawsuit to block those investigations,

a hearing scheduled for the end of this week to consider a statewide injunction.

In the meantime, some families in Texas have already had visits from child protective services.

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