They hosted him for dinner. Now he’s accusing them of child abuse

‘Raising a transgender child in Texas has been one long political emergency’

The mother of a transgender child who invited Texas Attorney-General Ken Paxton to the family home says she is under investigation for child abuse under new state laws banning gender affirmation treatment for minors.

Mom-of-two Amber Briggle hosted Mr Paxton and his wife Angela for dinner at her Dallas home in 2016 at the height of a heated debate over whether trans children would be forced to use the bathroom that matched their gender.

Ms Briggle, whose eldest 14-year-old son Max is trans, said she hoped to soften Mr Paxton’s attitude to trans families, saying at the time: “It’s hard to hate up close.”

The Republican Attorney-General “literally went into a bathroom with my transgender son” to wash their hands together before dinner, Ms Briggle told The 19th. 

“He turns around and looks and says, ‘This is nice. It’s been a while since I had kids this age.’”

Five years later, Mr Paxton has been at the forefront of passing new legislation that criminalises parents who offer hormone treaments to their children.

The bill, which has been signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott, requires the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services to investigate the use of “puberty blocker” medications, hormone therapy, and gender confirmation surgeries on transgender children.

According to a statement posted on Ms Briggle’s website, she and her husband are among several families under active investigation by Child Protective Services (CPS).

“Raising a transgender child in Texas has been one long political emergency,” she said.

“It always seemed like this day would come. Now it has arrived.”

Mr Briggle said when they were contacted to expect a “scheduled home interrogation” by a child protection officer, they hired a lawyer and held a family meeting.

Lastly, how fucking DARE @KenPaxtonTX come to my home to break bread with my family at our dinner table, and then say that families like mine should not exist. He's met my son and knows that my husband and I are NOT the definition of child abusers. Shame on him. pic.twitter.com/ijIOpCMZ85

— Amber Briggle (she/her) (@mrsbriggle) February 22, 2022

Ms Briggle said the children were stressed and nervous about the visit, and that she and her husband Adam feared they may be taken into foster care.

After the CPS officer had finished questioning, they asked to inspect the rest of the home.

The Briggles showed them the “food in our cabinets, the kids’ artwork on the walls, the toys, books, and games in the family room”. They refused to allow the CPS investigator into their children’s bedroom.

“She had violated our home by entering it. We didn’t want her violating their sacred spaces, too,” Ms Briggle, who is running for a seat on the Denton City Council, said.

They were now waiting to hear what, if any, further action would be taken against them.

She said the family were desperate for others to speak out about the new Texas law by calling their elected official to ask them to pass the Equality Act, which would prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation and gender identity.

Ms Briggle did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Independent.

Ken Paxton spoke at the Stop the Steal rally in Washington DC on 6 January (Copyright 2020 Jacquelyn Martin)

She posted a picture of Paxton and his wife Angela at her dinner table in 2016, with her husband Adam, Max, and 8-year-old daughter Lulu.

“How f***ing DARE Ken Paxton come to my home to break bread with my family at our dinner table, and then say that families like mine should not exist,” she said.

“He’s met my son and knows that my husband and I are NOT the definition of child abusers. Shame on him.”

Announcing the law last month, Mr Paxton described sex-change operations and puberty blockers as “monstrous and tragic”.

“I’ll do everything I can to protect against those who take advantage of and harm young Texans.”

Mr Paxton is a diehard supporter of Donald Trump, and received the former president’s endorsement ahead of a bid for reelection.

He is facing a run-off in May against George P. Bush for the Republican Party nomination for Texas Attorney-General.