According to a statement released to The Texas Tribune, Children’s Medical Center in Dallas folded the GENder Education and Care, Interdisciplinary Support (GENECIS) clinic the week of November 12.
“We accept new patients for diagnosis, including evaluation of gender dysphoria, but will not initiate patients on hormone or puberty suppression therapy for only this diagnosis,” the hospital said.
“The choice to remove branding for this care offers a more private, insulated experience for patients and their families.”
The GENECIS clinic provided counseling and hormonal treatments to children diagnosed with gender dysphoria. The clinic has said that it does not perform gender reassignment surgeries.
GENECIS did not respond to an inquiry The Texan sent in early October about how it would respond to a recent state agency decision to treat these surgeries as child abuse.
The Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) announced that it would treat genital surgeries for minors as child abuse when performed for the purpose of gender transition. The decision came after a request by Governor Greg Abbott.
Other transition treatments, such as puberty blockers or surgeries on other parts of the body, are still considered legal. State Rep. Bryan Slaton (R-Royse City) asked the DFPS to include these procedures in their definition of child abuse, but the agency declined.
When the legislature was in session earlier this year, several bills that would have banned all of these procedures died before receiving a vote in the Texas House. One bill by state Rep. Matt Krause (R-Fort Worth), which would have prohibited these procedures for doctors, made it onto the House’s agenda but never made it to the floor. The rest died in the House Public Health Committee, chaired by Rep. Stephanie Klick (R-Fort Worth).
Public testimony for these bills exposed a rift in the medical community. The current president of the Texas Psychological Association testified against one bill in the same hearing where a former president spoke in support of it. Some psychiatrists called the procedures vital to child suicide prevention, while others said most children resolve their dysphoria by adulthood.
On the family side of the debate, a number of youths that claimed they had undergone these procedures — including genital surgeries — spoke against the bills. The most outspoken parent in favor of a potential Texas ban on child gender modification is likely Jeff Younger, whose son James inspired the first proposals in the Texas legislature.
James’ mother Anne Georgulas has long maintained that he identifies as a girl named Luna. A court awarded Georgulas custody rights to most of James’ decisions earlier this year.
GENECIS opened in 2015.
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