(ChurchLeaders) The state of Texas has declared it is child abuse to conduct surgery that changes the sex of a minor. While some LGBTQ advocates are arguing that this decision is irrelevant to most minors, it does offer some protection for nine-year-old James Younger, whose mother has been fighting for several years to transition James to a girl.
“Genital mutilation of a child through reassignment surgery is child abuse, subject to all rules and procedures pertaining to child abuse,” said Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) Commissioner Jaime Masters. In an Aug. 11 letter to Texas governor Greg Abbott, Masters said, “Such mutilation may cause a ‘genuine threat of substantial harm from physical injury to the child’…Generally, children in the care and custody of a parent lack the legal capacity to consent to surgical treatments, making them more vulnerable.”