Historic Victory For Texas Families: AG Ken Paxton Takes A Giant Leap Forward For Victims Of 'Gender Affirming Care'
Texas Attorney General Paxton Forces Texas Children’s Hospital to Open the Nation’s First Detransition Clinic, Pay $10 Million, and Fire the Doctors Who Harmed Kids
I’m writing this from Texas, where I’m spending time with mothers who have been exposing the irreversible harm of “gender-transitioning” children.
These moms and dads (and our friends and allies) are modern-day warriors and heroes. We fight against doctors, therapists, hospitals, schools, and an ideology that tells them their kids’ confusion was something to “affirm” with puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries.
It’s exhausting, isolating, financially crippling, and dangerous
One mother I met, who has been outspoken in the fight for childhood innocence and parental authority, recently survived a drive-by shooting aimed at her home while she and her young children were outside.
But today, Texas delivered a massive, history-making win that changes the landscape
Attorney General Ken Paxton today announced a landmark healthcare fraud settlement with Texas Children’s Hospital - the largest children’s hospital in the United States. Under the agreement, the hospital must:
Create the nation’s first-ever multidisciplinary Detransition Clinic to provide medical care and reversal support for patients harmed by “gender-transition” procedures. For the first five years, Texas Children’s will fully fund it - free of charge to patients.
Pay $10 million to the state for illegally billing Texas Medicaid for unallowable and fraudulent “gender-transition” interventions, including the use of false diagnosis codes.
Permanently terminate and revoke privileges of multiple physicians who performed these harmful procedures - five “woke doctors” who will never again practice at the hospital.
Stop providing “gender-transition” services entirely and implement strict compliance and ethics measures, including bylaw changes that automatically strip privileges from any doctor who violates Texas law protecting kids.
This isn’t just a slap on the wrist. It’s accountability. It’s restitution.
It’s the first institutional acknowledgment that the radical transgender experiment on children was medically fraudulent, ideologically driven, and devastatingly harmful.
In Paxton’s own words:
“Today is a monumental day in the fight to stop the radical transgender movement. This historic settlement reflects an institutional and fundamental cultural shift away from radical ‘gender’ ideology… this settlement will ensure that the deranged child mutilators who hurt our kids are fired and held accountable.” - Texas AG Ken Paxton
He added:
“I applaud Texas Children’s Hospital for changing course and committing to being a part of the solution by agreeing to form a first-of-its kind Detransition Clinic that will help provide free care to those who have been victimized by twisted, morally bankrupt transgender ideology.” - Texas AG Ken Paxton
The courage of parents and whistleblowers pays off
The investigation that led to this settlement began years ago. Texas Children’s kept performing these interventions even after the state banned them. Whistleblowers exposed it. Parents fought it. And now, Paxton - working in coordination with President Trump’s Department of Justice - has delivered real consequences.
Meanwhile, back home in New Zealand, the contrast could not be starker
While Texas leads the world with real accountability and the first dedicated Detransition Clinic, trans activist groups like PATHA and their allies continue to heavily influence our government on “gender affirming care” and puberty blockers.
Last November I spoke about the US HHS report on Gender Dysphoria that was published within hours of the the sudden NZ government announcement on halting the prescription of puberty blockers and following UK NHS processes and research - not the US.
Compounding the problem is the role of legacy media in New Zealand and internationally
Media outlets overwhelmingly push a one-sided pro-trans narrative, often framing concerned parents as “anti-trans,” or ignorant, while downplaying or ignoring the Cass Review, exploding evidence of harm, detransitioner testimonies, and the risks of puberty blockers and irreversible interventions.
This has left most members of the public without a full picture of the issues - unaware of the safeguarding failures and the very real dangers facing children, and leaving small underfunded public interest groups such as Let Kids Be Kids and others, relying on word of mouth, independent media platforms (thank you to The Platform, RCR, Daily Telegraph and Good Oil who help share my work) and social media to encourage the conversation and speak up on behalf of people concerned with this ideology and the negative impacts for children, and themselves.
Here’s a short video on why the media is one-sided on this issue….
Why are activists driving their social change while parents are ignored?
Activists affiliated with PATHA, Waikato University’s Transgender Research Lab, and WPATH are still shaping policy and media narratives. The Ministry of Health’s evidence brief and the government’s own safeguards have faced relentless pushback.
And just yesterday, NGOs were once again waving trans flags at Parliament for IDAHOBIT Day - right as Pink Shirt Day was rolled out in workplaces and schools across the country, pushing the trans narrative straight into our children’s lives through events, assemblies, surveys and “diversity” programmes. NOT JUST in the sexuality education classroom lessons.
Why is the New Zealand Government and Ministry of Health apparently not looking to these landmark US decisions? Why ignore the mounting international evidence?
For the parents I’ve been meeting with here in Texas, this news may be the lifeline they need. Finally, someone in power is saying what we’ve known all along - this was never healthcare. It was child abuse dressed up in a white coat.
This settlement doesn’t erase the pain already inflicted. It doesn’t magically heal the detransitioners left sterilized, in chronic pain, or battling regret. But it forces the system to start cleaning up its own mess. It creates a dedicated clinic for reversal care. It claws back taxpayer dollars. And it sends a crystal-clear message to every hospital in Texas (and beyond): the era of experimenting on confused kids is over.
I’ve been documenting this fight for the last three years on pennymarie.nz and Let Kids Be Kids - from New Zealand to the frontlines in America, Canada and the United Kingdom. What I’m seeing here in Texas is a turning point. Parents are no longer alone. The law is catching up. The hospitals that profited from this ideology are being held to account.
Keep going, for our kids sakes
To every parent and advocate for children in the trenches: Hold the line. Your fight matters. Today’s announcement proves it.
To New Zealand mums and dads: How many more kids will be put on the social and medical pathway before our leaders follow Texas’ lead? How can we work together to affect the change needed to ensure our children are safe and families strengthened?
Remember, this Texas result has taken years of WHISTLEBLOWERS and PARENTS hard graft. It will take coordinated independent media. It will take many people genuinely committed to driving awareness, courage, advocacy and change for our children, families and future generations. - Penny Marie
To those clinging to a dying ideology
Healthcare workers in NZ: Will you continue to “affirm” based on ideology, or will you follow the emerging evidence and your oath to do no harm?
NZ politicians and Ministry of Health officials: When will you truly put children first, and get out of the way of loving mothers and fathers who say NO to this ideology and medial pathway - and demand the same accountability we’re seeing in Texas?
Mainstream media outlets: When will you report the full story, including the harms, the detransitioners, and the growing global pushback?
This is what real leadership looks like. Thank you, Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Please share this far and wide. Texas is leading the way. New Zealand must catch up - for the sake of our kids.
Official sources and further reading
NZ Update: Puberty Blockers, Media Bias, University ‘Experts’, vs Common Sense (Nov 2025)
NZ High Court To Test Legality Of Puberty‑Blocker Regulations (Feb 2026)
Stay strong, Penny Marie
On the ground in Texas
About Penny Marie
Penny Marie is a New Zealand-based investigative reporter, and founder of Let Kids Be Kids. Please follow, comment, share and support my work. Subscribe to my Substack, X (I also post these articles on X) and YouTube - and turn notifications on.
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Phenomenal article Penny. A lot of effort goes into your reporting and we’re very grateful.
I’m amazed at how widespread this is - I sat down to watch “Little Britain” the other night with hubby and realised how long this has been quietly infiltrating our culture. What was once a farce (that these men cleverly pointed out) turned into diabolical normalcy. Thank God it’s changing again. NZ needs to wake up - we are letting our children down if we don’t. Keep up the good work! 👏🌸