In what's believed to be a U.S. first, Texas is suing Granados and two other physicians over claims that they violated the state's ban on gender-affirming care for minors, calling the doctors “scofflaws” in lawsuits filed last fall that threaten to impose steep fines and revoke their medical licenses.
On the Texas border, Dr. Hector Granados treats children with diabetes at his El Paso clinics and makes hospital rounds under the shadow of accusations that have thrown his career into jeopardy: providing care to transgender youth.
Granados, in an interview with The Associated Press, said he was meticulous in halting transgender care before Texas' ban took effect in 2023.
Before the ban, Granados said, treating transgender youth was just an extension of his practice that also treats youth with diabetes, growth problems and early puberty.
The lawsuits are believed to be the first time a state has brought enforcement under laws that ban or restrict gender-affirming care for minors, which Republicans have enacted in 27 states, including this month in Kansas over the Democratic governor’s veto.
.jpeg?auto=webp&width=800)