Related Articles
A new resolution approved by an LGBTQ commission in Austin, Texas could potentially protect city residents offering gender transition medical treatment to minors.
The LGBTQ Quality of Life Advisory Commission unanimously approved a recommendation to the Austin city council on “transgender and sexual identity protections” Monday night. Among these protections appeared to include concerns over medical treatments for minors.
“WHERAS the City Council recognizes that families and healthcare providers in Austin are living in uncertainty and fear, and many are considering moving away or have already moved to other states to access medical care for their children or to be able to practice medicine freely in accordance with professional and ethical standards,” the recommendation read.
Austin’s LGBTQ Quality of Life Advisory Commission recommended special legal protection for people providing and receiving transgender care. (Andrea Ronchini/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
While the recommendation did not specifically mention treatments for minors such as puberty blockers or hormone therapy, it referenced support from the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the American Academy of Pediatricians and noted a “majority of U.S. adults agree that transgender minors should have access to gender-affirming care.”
Primarily, the commission stated that “except to the extent required by law” that “City personnel shall not enforce laws of other jurisdictions that impose criminal punishment, civil liability, administrative penalties, or professional sanctions” upon individuals seeking out or providing healthcare to a transgender or nonbinary individual.
The resolution also recommended that Austin “shall not terminate or limit the eligibility for City funding, such as grants or contracts, to an individual or organization for seeking, providing, or assisting with the provision of healthcare to a transgender or nonbinary individual.” It added that “no City personnel, funds, or resources shall be used to investigate, criminally prosecute, or impose administrative penalties upon” these individuals as well.
The resolution appears to protect transition treatments for minors. (Getty Images)
Any violation of Texas state law regarding transition treatment should be treated with the lowest priority for city personnel, the commission remarked.
“It is the policy of the City to support and protect the health, welfare, and safety of individuals who identify or are perceived as LGBTQIA+ and those who provide services and support to those individuals through the vigorous enforcement of hate crime and anti‐discrimination laws and providing other forms of support,” the resolution read.
The resolution will then be reworked by the city’s legal department before being sent to the city council, though it is unclear if the council will take up the measure.
The Commission’s staff liaison was unable to be reached by Fox News Digital for a comment at the time.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed off on a bill to bar minors from receiving transgender medical treatment. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)
In June, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law a bill that prohibited transgender youth from receiving puberty blockers or hormone therapy treatments used for transitioning. It also requires minors currently receiving treatment to be “weaned” off gradually.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Lindsay Kornick is an associate editor for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to lindsay.kornick@fox.com and on Twitter: @lmkornick.
