In 2023, Texas passed legislation banning the use of “gender-affirming care” on minors amid the national debate over gender ideology. Now, the state has filed a lawsuit against a doctor for allegedly violating this law.
Dr. May C. Lau is accused of prescribing testosterone to children suffering from gender dysphoria to help them “transition” to the opposite sex. The state alleges that she falsified medical and billing records to conceal these treatments while engaging in deceptive trade practices.
The lawsuit claims the doctor gave these treatments after the law went into effect on September 1, 2023. The legislation bars doctors from administering these treatments to children unless they are part of a “weaning off” plan for existing patients:
On October 2, 2023, after SB 14 went into effect, Lau wrote Patient One a prescription for a 14-day supply of 200 mg/ml of testosterone cypionate... The prescriptions purpose is for transitioning her biological sex or affirming her belief that her gender identity is inconsistent with her biological sex.
Dr. Lau allegedly faked medical records, prescriptions, and billing codes to deceive insurance companies, pharmacies, and patients by documenting inaccurate diagnoses, according to the lawsuit. The physician is accused of trying to hide the fact that the treatments were intended for minors with gender dysphoria.
“Lau is prescribing testosterone to minors under the guise of treating unspecified endocrine disorders rather than gender dysphoria,” the complaint reads:
Lau deceptively represents that goods or services have approval, characteristics, uses, or benefits which they do not, by falsifying patient medical records, prescriptions, and billing records for something other than transitioning their biological sex or affirming their belief that their gender identity is inconsistent with their biological sex.
The state contends that Lau “falsely billed Patient Twenty-Two’s insurance using the diagnostic code for an endocrine disorder, unspecified (E349), when in fact Lau diagnosed Twenty-two with gender dysphoria and began 'treatment' for that condition by prescribing and inserting a puberty blocker device.”
By prescribing testosterone to her patients, Lau allegedly endangered their health with treatments that could cause irreversible changes. “The treatments are experimental and dangerous... and lack sufficient long-term research on their safety in minors,” the lawsuit says, also noting that “The use of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones poses significant risks to minors’ physical and mental health.”
The doctor even acknowledged that “we’re not sure about the safety and long-term effects of puberty suppression in youth with gender dysphoria,” according to the complaint. Yet, she still allegedly continued to prescribe these medications.
The suit claims Lau “used false billing codes, representing testosterone prescriptions as treatment for endocrine disorders rather than transitioning.”
The lawsuit also accuses Dr. Lau of engaging in deceptive trade practices by misleading insurance providers, pharmacies, and patients through false medical documentation and incorrect billing codes, a violation of the **Texas Business & Commerce Code**.
Lau deceptively induces pharmacies, insurance providers, and/or the patients into entering into transactions by falsifying patient medical records, prescriptions, and billing records to indicate that treatments are for something other than transitioning a child’s biological sex.
If these allegations are true, it could demonstrate that progressive gender ideology has pervaded the medical field to the point that physicians are willing to violate state law to push transgenderism on children. Indeed, Lau allegedly knew that there were risks associated with puberty blockers and hormone treatments and that there isn’t enough data showing the benefit. Yet, she chose to push these treatments anyway.
Several studies have emerged over recent years showing that “gender-affirming care” often worsens the issues trans-identified children are experiencing:
The United Kingdom’s National Health Service published the findings of a study showing that “gender-affirming care” either has deleterious effects on children’s mental health or no effect whatsoever.
A third of trans children treated with puberty blockers had their mental health deteriorate while on the medication, a new analysis of a landmark study reveals.
The original study found that 44 children, aged 12 to 15, who took the controversial drugs experienced no change — good or bad — to their mental health.
This report, produced by experts from the NHS's Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) at Tavistock and University College London Hospitals (UCLH) in 2021 eventually led to a lowering of the age children could access puberty blockers.
But a fresh analysis of the data used in the report found 34 per cent of the gender-questioning youth saw their mental health deteriorate while using the drugs.
This compared to 29 per cent who had their mental health improve and 37 per cent who experienced no change.
The medical professionals promoting “gender-affirming care” do not seem perturbed by the risks associated with it. Some might actually believe they are helping children. But others could be pursuing these treatments for financial benefits. If the accusations against Lau are accurate, then it suggests that there are possibly many other doctors who are doing the same, despite the illegality of the practice.
