August 13, 2021
Commissioner Jaime Masters
Texas Department of Family and Protective Services
PO Box 149030
Austin, Texas 78714
Dear Commissioner Masters,
It has come to our attention that Governor Greg Abbott directed the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services to determine “whether genital mutilation of a child for purposes of gender transitioning through reassignment surgery constitutes child abuse.” In your August 11 response to Gov. Abbott, you made statements that, unfortunately, appear to support a demonstrably false notion that gender reassignment surgery is a typical form of therapy for transgender minors. In ignoring actual and accepted medical treatment for transgender children and characterizing an all but unknown practice as child abuse, your letter serves to enflame irrational rhetoric and to heighten fear among vulnerable transgender children and their families and care providers.
The current best-practice healthcare approach for transgender children is a social transition that requires no medical intervention. For teens and adolescents, the prevailing standards of care include social transitioning and
puberty blockers, which are reversible. This gender-affirming care is life-saving, informed, medically necessary,
and does not look anything like what was outlined in your letter. Furthermore, every major medical association
endorses this care, including the American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association, the
American Academy of Pediatrics, the Pediatric Endocrine Society, the World Professional Association of
Transgender Health, and the National Association of Social Workers.
While gender-affirming surgeries are not available for youth, actual gender-affirming care is vital and saves lives.
Puberty blockers, hormone replacement therapy, and social transitioning are all used and relied upon not only
by transgender youth and persons, but by cisgender children as well. All of these forms of gender affirming care
are reversible and endorsed by every major medical association.
We urge you, on moral and ethical grounds, to immediately stop contributing to a dangerous campaign of
misinformation and attacks on LGBTQIA+ people, for the safety and wellbeing of all Texans. We further
request a meeting with you to discuss this urgent problem and methods to protect transgender children by
treating them and their families with respect and dignity. Please contact Bill McCamley, chief of staff for Rep.
Mary González, at bill.mccamley@house.texas.gov with dates and times at which you are available to meet with
Caucus members.
Thank you for your attention to this very important matter.
Sincerely,
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