"Texas Appeals Court Halts State Investigations of Families Providing Gender-Affirming Care for Trans Youth"

A Texas appeals court has upheld injunctions blocking the state's Department of Family and Protective Services from investigating families of transgender youth seeking gender-affirming medical care, following Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's order to launch investigations into such families. The court order freezes the state's enforcement of a department rule expanding the definition of "child abuse" to include gender-affirming care. The legal battle began after Abbott's directive, which was seen as an attack on transgender children and their families, and has been met with opposition from LGBTQ+ advocates and civil rights groups.