Texas Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican,
has described parents who support their transgender kids as “child
abusers.”
Cruz, a vocal opponent of LGBT rights,
made his comments following a Dallas jury's decision to award sole
managing conservatorship of Luna Younger, a 7-year-old transgender
child, to her mother, Anne Georgulas, who supports her child's
transition. The father, Jeff Younger, did not affirm his child's
gender. He argued that transitioning would not be in the child's best
interest.
“This is horrifying & tragic,”
Cruz said in a tweet. “For a parent to subject such a young child
to life-altering hormone blockers to medically transition their sex
is nothing less than child abuse.”
Cruz is a staunch proponent of laws
that prohibit transgender individuals from using the bathroom of
their choice.
(Related: Caitlyn
Jenner disappointed with Ted Cruz's support for transgender bathroom
bills.)
Republican Governor Greg Abbott said in
a tweet that the state would investigate the matter.
“FYI the matter of 7 year old James
Younger is being looked into by the Texas Attorney General's Office
and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services,” Abbott
wrote, referring to Luna Younger.
Other conservative lawmakers in the
state also criticized the decision, including Representative Matt
Krause, who said he would introduce legislation that prohibits the
use of puberty blockers.
Judge Kim Cooks ruled that both parents
have a say in their child's medical decisions and ordered the father
not to publicly discuss the case, The
Texan reported.