One year after Texas officials launched child abuse investigations into families with trans children, Amber Briggle, a mother of a trans teenager, shares the traumatic experience her family faced. The investigations were ordered by Republican governor Greg Abbott and conducted by the Texas Department of Family Protective Services (DFPS), following the opinion of Texas attorney general Ken Paxton that gender-affirming healthcare for trans youth was child abuse. This persecution caused families of trans youth to live in fear that their children could be removed from their homes, and prompted lengthy legal battles to stop the harmful investigations.
Briggle and her family were among the families targeted by the DFPS. They were notified of the investigation through a sticky note on their desk and a call from a child-protective services investigator. The family managed to find a lawyer to represent their children, but still had to sit through interviews and have their home inspected. Briggle remembers being handed flyers on what to do with stress, good nutrition for kids, signs of self-harm in children, and drug or alcohol addiction, which she saw as a waste of time and traumatising for her family.
Despite the ordeal, Briggle and other families of trans youth continue to fight for their children’s rights and the community. They face increasing discrimination and stigmatisation against the trans community, with hundreds of anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-trans bills being filed in state legislatures across the country. Republican lawmakers in several states have enacted trans sports bans, while others have brought in laws attacking gender-affirming care for trans youth. The fight is far from over, but Briggle says she’s not giving up.