Texas government officials are parroting right-wing media misinformation about trans youth, including during an appearance on Fox News, as the state is attempting to launch a child abuse investigation into a custody battle over a transgender child whose parents disagree about affirming her gender identity. Anti-trans figures have consistently portrayed the affirmation of trans youth as child abuse.

Right-wing media outlets have dubiously framed the custody battle as a debate over medical intervention -- despite the fact that the child would not be undergoing any such procedures in the near future. They have also pushed misinformation about medical interventions that are widely supported by medical professionals, inaccurately calling them chemical castration -- a false claim which has also been repeated by the Texas attorney general office.

The custody battle is between Anne Georgulas and Jeffrey Younger, two divorced Texas parents of a trans child who goes by Luna and uses female pronouns. Three mental health professionals have diagnosed Luna with gender dysphoria, and Georgulas has accepted her as trans. However, Younger has rejected Lunas gender identity, insisting she is not trans and referring to her by her former name (commonly referred to as a deadname). According to court documents, Younger has engaged in increasingly aggressive behavior, including physical force, toward Georgulas and emotionally abusive behavior toward the child. He has also launched an online campaign, fundraiser, and petition all using the name Luna formerly used.

On October 24, a judge ruled that the parents would share joint custody of Luna despite a jury ruling that Georgulas should have sole custody earlier this week. The judges decision came after major outcry from right-wing media figures and Texas elected officials, including Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX).

Right-wing media led an extensive misinformation campaign about the custody battle, which Texas government officials relied on to justify launching an investigation.

Abbott announced on October 23 that the Texas Office of the Attorney General and Department of Family and Protective Services are looking into the custody case. Government officials in the state usedthat misinformation to justifythe potential investigation. Following the announcement, Texas Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Mateer sent a letter and issued a press release requesting that the state Department of Family and Protective Services conduct a thorough investigation into possible child abuse to protect the boy in question [from] permanent and potentially irreversible harm by his mother.

Mateer is an allied attorney with the extreme anti-LGBTQ group Alliance Defending Freedom; at least four other ADF allied attorneys worked in the Texas attorney generals office in 2018. In 2017, Mateers federal judicial nomination was withdrawn after some of his extreme anti-LGBTQ comments were uncovered. Notably, Mateer claimed that the existence of trans youth proves that Satans plan is working, and he advocated for the harmful and debunked practice of conversion therapy.

On October 24, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick went on Fox News The Ingraham Angle, a friendly show for anti-LGBTQ viewpoints, and claimed that at seven, you can't make that decision that will change their life forever -- that you cannot come back, particularly if you go through the full treatment into their teen years. During the segment, Ingraham also called gender-affirming carechild abuse. In another segment from Foxs The Daily Briefing with Dana Perino on October 25, Patrick suggested the legislature would explore the issue in its next session.

The language in Mateers comments and Patricks interviews comes directly from right-wing media, which have taken the custody battle and falsely reframed it to be about supposedly irreversible medical procedures. In fact, therapists have not recommended any medical interventions for Luna, but rather would allow her to dress and otherwise identify as a girl. The Washington Post has noted:

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Right-wing media built the Texas government investigation into custody battle over trans child - Media Matters for America

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