Dallas DA John Creuzot Joins Over 90 Criminal Justice Leaders in Slamming Texas' Anti-Trans Directives

As some Texas Republican politicians have begun targeting supportive families of trans children, dozens of criminal justice leaders from around the country are sounding the alarm. Certain GOP politicians say they're cracking down on child abuse, but critics argue that they're the ones doing the bullying.

Last week, a bipartisan group of 93 officials, including attorneys general and judges, slammed recent efforts by the state’s GOP to criminalize and prosecute parents of trans kids. They say a recent directive by Gov. Greg Abbott to investigate such parents further victimizes an already vulnerable population; the directive also imposes reporting requirements on trans children's doctors, teachers and nurses.

On Friday, a state judge temporarily blocked investigations into parents of trans children. In an amicus brief filed two days prior, the 93 leaders argued against criminalizing parents of transgender teens receiving gender-affirming care, such as puberty-suppressing drugs.

Dallas District Attorney John Creuzot said he was proud to include his signature.

“As I have made clear previously, my office will not be prosecuting parents or medical providers in accordance with this harmful directive,” he said in a statement. “Transgender youth and their families can rest easy in Dallas County knowing they will not be subject to legal action for choosing what is best for a child’s health.”

Other Texas-based signatories include county and district attorneys in Travis, Bexar, Fort Bend, Harris and Nueces counties; leaders in other states like Massachusetts, California and Delaware also lent their support.

Abbott’s directive came on the heels of a nonbinding opinion from Attorney General Ken Paxton that found Texas parents who provide gender-affirming care could face a child abuse investigation.

The leaders warn that Texas residents might be reluctant to ask the police for help when they think the government is directing resources to criminalize loving families. Other vulnerable communities that risk persecution, such as undocumented immigrants, are less likely to work with law enforcement for fear of being deported.

“Rather than focus on investigating parents who truly neglect and harm their children through actual abuse, these Texas officials seek to use the law to prevent life-saving measures for vulnerable children,” the brief reads. “Their edict is nothing short of perverse.”

The criminal justice leaders further fear that such policies will hamper public trust in the justice system, which in turn will make it more difficult for law enforcement to protect Texas communities. These directives will foster distrust between law enforcement and trans community members, they warn, making an already vulnerable group even more susceptible to abuse.

One of the first Texans under investigation is a state employee who is the mother of a 16-year-old trans girl. “I feel betrayed by my state and the agency for whom I work,” she said in a declaration filed with a lawsuit against Abbott, the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services and its commissioner.

Around 85% of transgender and non-binary youth reported that debates surrounding anti-trans state laws have harmed their mental health, according to a January poll by the Trevor Project, an LGBTQ+ youth suicide prevention and crisis intervention service.

Still, some Republicans view legislation restricting gender-affirming care as a selling point. Abbott’s directive came ahead of the primary election and could remain a salient issue for GOP runoffs. Some conservatives argue that certain gender-affirming care could impede a child’s development process when they are too young to comprehend the consequences of their choices.

The Texas Tribune reported that Dave Carney, Abbott’s top political strategist, recently told journalists: “This is a winning issue. Texans have common sense.”

Meanwhile, legislators in other states are also ramping up anti-trans attacks.

The Trans Formations Project, a tracker for such legislation, also cites anti-trans sports bills in states like Kansas and Indiana, plus Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill that bans primary-school classroom discussions on gender identity or sexual orientation.