The Texas Office of the Attorney General was blocked from demanding information and documents from PFLAG, a national nonprofit that supports the families of LGBTQ people, including transgender youths seeking gender-affirming care.
Travis County District Court Judge Amy Clark Meachum issued the temporary injunction Monday, writing that “immediate and irreparable injury, loss, or injury will result to PFLAG and its members” if the organization had to hand over information such as identities of members seeking gender-affirming care for minors, caregivers and patients to Paxton’s office.
The new order allows the half-century-old nonprofit to keep its information private.
“PFLAG families in Texas gained further protection today when the court reaffirmed that the Attorney General can’t two-step around the law with an outrageous demand for private information,” Brian K. Bond, CEO of PFLAG, said in a statement.
The Texas Office of the Attorney General did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
On Feb. 9, PFLAG received civil demands from Paxton’s office to turn over documents, communications and information related to its work providing support for families with transgender children.
Paxton’s office said the demand for PFLAG documents was part of an effort to investigate medical providers offering gender-affirming care to minors despite Senate Bill 14, which banned treatment in the state.
PFLAG filed a lawsuit on Feb. 28 that asked for a temporary restraining order and relief to protect its members’ privacy following the investigation demands.
Paxton’s office responded to the lawsuit by saying it would hold the organization accountable.
“PFLAG’s information is highly relevant to the Attorney General’s investigations into whether medical providers are committing insurance fraud in order to circumvent SB 14… PFLAG refused to produce a single document and instead sued the Attorney General in an apparent attempt to conceal information,” the Attorney General’s Office said in a statement on Feb. 29.
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On March 1, a temporary restraining order was secured by PFLAG with the help of Lambda Legal, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Transgender Law Center. That order remained in effect until the hearing on March 25, when Meachum issued the injunction on the same grounds.
“This court ruling is a critical step in allowing PFLAG and its members to join together and advocate for each other, free from the threat of the attorney general’s retaliation and intimidation,” Chloe Kempf, attorney with the ACLU of Texas, said in a statement.
Meachum wrote that there is “a substantial likelihood” that PFLAG will prevail after a trial, which is set to start June 10.
The legal win for PFLAG is the latest development in the Texas effort to restrict access to transition-related care for minors. In September, the Texas Supreme Court allowed a new state law banning gender-affirming care for minors to take effect and, in December, Paxton asked a Seattle hospital to hand over records regarding gender-affirming treatment potentially given to children from Texas.
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Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
