Texas is suing doctor, accusing her of violating ban on gender-affirming care

DALLAS – Texas has sued a Dallas doctor over allegations of providing gender-inclusive care to teenagers. This is one of the first attempts by a state to enforce recent bans pushed by Republicans.

The lawsuit announced Thursday by Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton alleges that Dr. May Lau, a doctor in the Dallas area, provided hormones to more than 20 minors, violating a Texas ban that went into effect last year.

It’s the first time Texas is trying to enforce the law, said Harper Seldin, an LGBTQ attorney with the ACLU & HIV project. He also said he wasn’t aware of other states trying to enforce similar bans.

“Today begins the prosecution of those who broke the law,” Paxton’s office said in the lawsuit, filed in suburban Collin County.

Texas law bars transgender people under 18 from accessing hormone therapy, puberty blockers and transition surgeries, although surgical procedures are rarely performed on children.

Seldin said he couldn’t comment on the facts of this case, but said the lawsuit was the “predictable and frightening result” of the law that his organization tried to prevent by challenging it.

“Doctors should not have to fear being targeted by the government for using their best medical judgment, and politicians like Ken Paxton should not come between families and their doctors,” Seldin said.

According to UT Southwestern’s website, Lau is an associate professor in the department of pediatrics at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. The lawsuit said she had hospital privileges at two area Children’s Health hospitals.

The lawsuit accuses her of “falsifying medical records, prescriptions and billing records to represent that her testosterone prescriptions were intended for something other than changing a child’s biological sex or confirming a child’s belief that his or her gender identity was inconsistent.” corresponds to his biological sex.”

Paxton is asking the court for a restraining order against Lau and a fine of up to $10,000 per violation.

Lau and UT Southwestern immediately responded to requests for comment Thursday. Children’s Health said in a statement that it “follows and complies with all state health laws.”

At least 26 states have passed laws restricting or banning gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors, and most of these states face lawsuits. Federal judges have ruled the bans in Arkansas and Florida unconstitutional, although a federal appeals court overturned the Florida ruling. There is a court order temporarily blocking enforcement of the ban in Montana. New Hampshire’s restrictions are set to take effect in January.

The lawsuit comes just weeks before an election in which Republicans have used support for gender-affirming health care to attack their opponents. Republican Sen. Ted Cruz has repeatedly criticized his Democratic challenger, U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, for his support of transgender rights.

The Texas ban was enacted by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, who became the first governor to order screening of families of transgender minors receiving gender-affirming care.