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What Next: A Caseworker Quits Over Texas’ Trans Kids Policy

Slate News

Slate Podcasts

News, Politics, News Commentary

4.56K Ratings

🗓️ 19 April 2022

⏱️ 20 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Morgan Davis saw his job as an investigator in the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services as a calling. As a transgender man, he joined the child welfare agency to be the advocate he never had while growing up. But Davis eventually quit, following Governor Greg Abbott’s order to investigate the families of transgender children. While Abbott’s order is currently paused due to an injunction, many families are still left in limbo due to open cases – and other child welfare workers are handing in their notices. Guest: Morgan Davis, investigator at the Travis County office of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.  If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

There's gift I've ever received has to be a bike when I was younger, a pedal bike.

0:07.0

It was a sort of slick little road bike and I remember it was all like it was so it was all wrapped up

0:12.7

but it was so obvious what it was obviously because nothing shaped like a bike and I had a little ribbon on it

0:16.4

and I was so guest. For that was a life changer and I'm still sort of big on cycling around my area now

0:21.6

so for that one change me a little.

0:23.8

Joy in every sip with red cups now back at Starbucks.

0:37.2

Morgan Davis is an investigator for Texas's Department of Family and Protective Services.

0:42.7

He says part of his job is to make sure that the children living in the homes he investigates

0:47.4

feel like someone is watching out for them.

0:50.4

Just to have a friendly face walking in the home and saying I see you are loved you are respected

0:56.6

and you have done nothing wrong for any child.

1:00.4

Morgan is a transgender man.

1:02.6

He says he wanted to work for a child welfare agency so that he could be the kind of advocate he never had

1:08.5

when he was growing up.

1:09.9

If you look different or you feel different and you know for myself I've always always looked like a little boy.

1:19.5

And so oftentimes there will be bullying.

1:23.5

You oftentimes feel isolated or scared and to have an adult be able to look you in the face and say I see you're going to be okay.

1:32.5

I got you. It would have been the world.

1:37.5

In February Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued a new directive ordering Morgan's agency to investigate the homes of children whose doctors have prescribed

1:39.5

medical treatments that trans advocates describe as gender affirming care.

1:49.5

Governor Abbott described these treatments including ones that can be reversed as sex change procedures.

1:55.5

And he categorized them as a form of child abuse.

...

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