March 26 (UPI) — A Texas judge has blocked the state attorney general from accessing information on trans youth from PFLAG, a national nonprofit that supports LGBTQ families.
Travis County District Court Judge Amy Clark Meachum issued the temporary injunction Monday against the Texas Attorney General’s Office and Attorney General Ken Paxton. The injunction allows PFLAG to keep its information private in order to prevent “immediate and irreparable injury, loss or damage to PFLAG and its members.”
“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 Bond, chief executive officer of PFLAG, said in a statement.
PFLAG filed its lawsuit last month after Paxton’s office demanded the nonprofit turn over documents on medical providers, offering gender-affirming care to minors in violation of Texas Senate Bill 14. Notices were sent to hospitals, clinics and other organizations, requesting “recommendations, referrals and/or lists” of health care providers treating trans youth.
Lambda Legal senior counsel Paul Castillo said the documents requests from the attorney general’s office have disrupted PFLAG’s chapters in Texas.
“Membership and participation in meetings has decreased since the demands have been issued,” Castillo said. “There is a reluctance to secure and obtain sign-in information from members because parents and families fear that the Office of the Attorney General is collecting information about who these trans and non-binary young people are in Texas.”
PFLAG secured a temporary restraining order earlier this month, which remained in effect until Monday’s hearing.
“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.
While Paxton’s office has not responded to Tuesday’s injunction, it said last month that it would hold PFLAG 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 S.B. 14,” the office said.
A trial on the merits of the case is scheduled for June 10.
