In a move that has raised privacy concerns and backlash from advocates of transgender rights, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has requested medical records from QueerMed, a Georgia-based telehealth clinic providing gender-affirming care to transgender youth. According to KENS 5, Paxton's office is seeking information on Texas minors who have received treatment from the clinic since January 1, 2022.
The legal quagmire manifests as Texas laws collide head-on with QueerMed’s operations, Texas, where Paxton wields his authority, started enforcing its ban on transgender youth receiving certain medical treatments in the past year, the clinic asserts compliance, having ceased services to Texas-based minors post ban, with Dr. Izzy Lowell, QueerMed's founder, vehemently stating in a release, "QueerMed will never, ever turn over HIPAA-protected patient information," as obtained by KENS 5.
The request for sensitive patient information has incited criticism from community members and legal experts who note the potential implications on privacy rights and access to healthcare for transgender individuals. "What we're seeing now is similar to what we've seen regarding the constitutional right to abortion," Alicia Hughes, legal scholar and interim director at Emory University's Center for Civil Rights and Social Justice, told KENS 5.
Despite Paxton's continued pressure, QueerMed remains resolute in its stance, the clinic has reiterated its commitment to safeguarding its patients' health and rights, meanwhile, Erin Reed, a transgender activist, decried the subpoenas as an attempt to "investigate and potentially arrest people across state lines for providing trans care," as she voiced over social media by Truthout, with many worried about the possible chilling effect on providers and families seeking care in the face of such antagonistic legal actions.
Jen Slipakoff, a mother of a transgender child and advocate for transgender healthcare, has expressed deep concern over Paxton's requests, believing them to be "absolutely intimidating these providers," additionally she fears a broader goal of "trying to legislate trans youth out of existence," as she explained in comments reported by KENS 5. The Texas AG's office has, thus far, remained mum in the wake of these reports, and the controversy surrounding this request.
