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Attorney General Ken Paxton of Texas announced on Monday a new interpretation of state law that would extend the state’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors to mental health providers, declaring that any therapist who affirms a trans youth’s gender identity is “facilitating” illegal treatment and committing child abuse. Under his interpretation, therapists, counselors, psychologists and social workers who provide gender-affirming mental health care would be barred from receiving any public funding, including Medicaid, and could face revocation of their licenses and criminal penalties. The opinion also invokes mandatory reporting requirements, meaning therapists could be legally obligated to report colleagues and potentially the parents of transgender children as well. The announcement came one day before the Texas Republican primary for U.S. Senate, in which Paxton is running against incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, and carries echoes of his 2022 child abuse declaration that led to sweeping state investigations attempting to remove transgender children from their supportive families.

“Attorney General Ken Paxton has issued a legal opinion declaring that the prohibitions under S.B. 14 making it illegal for health care providers to ‘transition’ kids does apply to ‘mental health care providers’ licensed by the Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council,” says a press release issued by the attorney general’s office. The release describes therapists who affirm transgender youth as “activists providing mental ‘health care’ designed to confuse children about their gender,” and claims that the path to children being “transitioned” is actually “unethical indoctrination” and “child abuse.”

“Any radical facilitating the ‘transitioning’ of our kids is committing child abuse,” Paxton said. “The law is clear that these radical procedures are illegal and in no world should Texans’ tax dollars be........

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