DALLAS — A doctor at UT Southwestern is taking legal action against the Dallas hospital alleging discrimination over its decision to stop offering certain transgender surgery procedures to new patients.
Dr. Ximena Lopez filed a petition to take a deposition before a lawsuit, alleging discrimination by telling her to not "provide gender-affirming care to specific patients solely on the grounds of the patient's gender identity."
In a statement, UT Southwestern officials said the hospital "does not comment on pending litigation."
The UT Southwestern statement also added: "UT Southwestern is committed to providing equal opportunities to all members of the campus community and to maintaining an environment that is free from unlawful discrimination, harassment and retaliation."
The move by UT Southwestern came as state officials, including Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton, began directing investigations into parents of transgender children, accusing them of child abuse.
The petition from Lopez is filed under the state's 202 petition, which allows the power to investigate potential claims before an actual lawsuit.
Gender Education and Care, Interdisciplinary Support, or Genecis, was a program for the hospital created by Children's Health and UT Southwestern and at the center of this issue. It provided health care for transgender youth.
UT Southwestern said in November that the hospitals wouldn't be taking on new patients for hormone or puberty suppression therapy, which inevitably ended the program.
Through her petition, Lopez is claiming this violates the university's nondiscriminatory policy. She also said she wants to know who is making the decisions to cut off this care. Lopez has requested certain documents and communications from UT Southwestern.
Earlier in March, Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston said it was going to stop providing hormone therapy to transgender children after Abbott's announcement about his investigations.
“This step was taken to safeguard our healthcare professionals and impacted families from potential criminal legal ramifications,” a spokesperson for the hospital wrote in a statement.