Texas has sued a Dallas doctor over accusations of providing gender-affirming care to youths, marking one of the first times a state has sought to enforce recent bans driven by Republicans.
The lawsuit announced by Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Thursday alleges that Dr. May Lau, a physician in the Dallas area, provided hormones to over 20 minors in violation of a Texas ban that took effect last year.
It is the first time Texas has tried to enforce the law , said Harper Seldin, a staff attorney for the ACLU's LGBTQ HIV Project. He also said he was not aware of other states that have tried to enforce similar bans.
"Today, enforcement begins against those who have violated the law," Paxton's office said in the lawsuit, which was filed in suburban Collin County.
The Texas law prevents transgender people under 18 from accessing hormone therapies, puberty blockers and transition surgeries, though surgical procedures are rarely performed on children.
