Texas judge blocks probes of transgender kids' parents statewide

District Court Judge Amy Clark Meachum imposed a statewide temporary injunction on investigations

A Texas judge on Friday temporarily blocked the state from investigating parents who provide their transgender children with gender-transitioning medical treatments that Governor Greg Abbott calls "child abuse."

Qazet.az reports that District Court Judge Amy Clark Meachum imposed a statewide temporary injunction on investigations that Abbott ordered the Department of Family Protective Services (DFPS) to carry out, saying the probes endangered children and their families.

The ruling marked a victory for LGBTQ groups, medical professionals and civil liberties advocates opposing moves by conservative politicians in dozens of states to criminalize the provision of gender-transitioning treatments for trans youth.

Critics of such proposals have accused Republicans of seizing on issues surrounding gender identity as a wedge issue in the run-up to November's mid-term congressional elections, with Republicans keen to try and retake the majority in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.