Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit Thursday against a physician for providing gender transition care to 21 minor patients, in violation of a Texas law prohibiting medical interventions related to gender transition.
The lawsuit accuses Dr. May Lau of engaging in “deceptive trade practices, including misleading pharmacies, insurance providers, and/or patients by falsifying medical records, prescriptions, and billing records to represent that testosterone prescriptions are for something other than [transitioning or affirming a child’s biological sex or gender identity.]”
The suit claims that Lau is a “radical gender activist,” citing her advocacy for gender-affirming care in multiple medical journals in addition to her work with gender-affirming care clinics that shuttered with the passage of SB 14.
The action is the first instance in which the newly enacted law has been enforced, said American Civil Liberties Union LGBTQ & HIV Project staff attorney Hubert Seldin.
Passed in June 2023, Texas Senate Bill 14 restricts a physician from performing gender transitioning treatments under threat of civil penalties or loss of medical license. The bill was challenged shortly thereafter and upheld by the Texas Supreme Court, reasoning that the interest in protecting the health and safety of minors outweighed the parental right to make medical decisions for their children.
A statement released from Paxton’s office accompanying the lawsuit called gender transition treatments “experimental,” claiming that “no scientific evidence” supported their efficacy. On the other hand, several medical associations, including the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics support the use of gender-affirming care for minors, citing scientific studies that minors receiving the care have demonstrated better mental health with reduced rates of suicide and depression.
Bans or restrictions on gender-affirming or transitioning care are now effective in half of the US, with six states making the furnishing of said care a felony crime.
