60+ businesses urge Greg Abbott to abandon order 'discriminating against transgender youth'

On Friday, March 11 in Texas, Travis County District Judge Amy Clark Meachum issued an injunction temporarily blocking a directive from Gov. Greg Abbott that calls for child abuse investigations of adults who promote gender-affirming care for transgender children. And Meachum isn’t the only one who has problems with the Republican governor’s directive: 65 companies, CNN reports, have signed an open letter condemning it.

Those companies, according to CNN reporter Joe Sutton, include heavyweights like Apple, Microsoft, PayPal, Yahoo, Johnson & Johnson, Ikea, Capitol One, Macy’s and LinkedIn.

The open letter, which found the companies joining forces with the Human Rights Campaign and is being published in a newspaper ad, reads, “Our companies do business, create jobs, and serve customers in Texas. We are committed to building inclusive environments where our employees can thrive inside and outside of the workplace. For years, we have stood to ensure LGBTQ+ people — our employees, customers and their families — are safe and welcomed in the communities where we do business.”

The letter continues, “The recent attempt to criminalize a parent for helping their transgender child access medically necessary, age-appropriate healthcare in the state of Texas goes against the values of our companies. This policy creates fear for employees and their families, especially those with transgender children, who might now be faced with choosing to provide the best possible medical care for their children but risk having those children removed by child protective services for doing so. It is only one of several efforts discriminating against transgender youth that are advancing across the country.”

The open letter called for Texas politicians to “abandon efforts to write discrimination into law and policy.”

“It's not just wrong, it has an impact on our employees, our customers, their families, and our work,” the letter reads.

In February, far-right Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton declared that gender-affirming care for transgender youth should be considered “child abuse” — and Abbott directed the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) to “conduct a prompt and thorough investigation of any reported instances of these abusive procedures in the State of Texas.”

But Meacham, issuing a temporary injunction, ruled that Abbott’s directive is “beyond the scope of his authority and unconstitutional.” Paxton is appealing the injunction.