As part of the settlement, the school district agreed to provide mandatory training to human resources and counseling staff on LGBTQ issues in schools, and to require its board of trustees to vote on whether to add protections for sexual orientation into its policies. By Naomi Andu, The Texas Tribune Arlington art teacher Stacy Bailey…
After Strong Finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire, Pete Buttigieg Turns to Texas
Starting Monday, the campaign will have 24 paid staffers in the state of Texas, which holds its primaries March 3. By Alex Samuels, The Texas Tribune Pete Buttigieg is quickly ramping up campaign activity in Texas after strong finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire, sending two dozen staffers to the Super Tuesday state. The 24…
Texas Asks U.S. Supreme Court to End Pro-LGBTQ California Law Banning State-Funded Travel
After Texas passed a law in 2017 allowing foster care agencies to cite sincerely held religious beliefs to deny placements to gay couples, California banned state-funded travel to the Lone Star State. By Emma Platoff, The Texas Tribune Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday to strike down a 2016…
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Won’t Defend State Agency in Gay Marriage Case
The attorney general’s office is charged with defending state agencies when they are challenged in court. But Paxton will not defend a commission sued after it issued a public warning for a Waco judge who refuses to perform same-sex marriages. By Emma Platoff, The Texas Tribune Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton will not defend a…
Rejection of LGBTQ Student Group Leads to a Fight at “Unambiguously Christian” Baylor
The Baptist university has denied a charter to Gamma Alpha Upsilon for eight years, members say. By Shannon Najmabadi, The Texas Tribune Gay and lesbian students were hopeful a 2015 policy change could pave their way to more rights at Baylor University, one of the country’s most prominent Baptist colleges. But four years later, LGBTQ…
Beto O’Rourke Releases Plan for LGBTQ Equality, Aiming to Overturn Trump Policies
“We must ensure all Americans are treated equally no matter who they are or who they love,” the Democratic presidential candidate says in offering his sixth major policy proposal. By Patrick Svitek, The Texas Tribune Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke released a proposal Wednesday morning to achieve equality for LGBTQ Americans and reinstate protections abandoned…
Texas House Passes Religious Liberty Bill Amid LGBTQ Caucus’ Objections
What started as a sweeping religious refusals bill has been significantly watered down as it moves through the Texas Legislature. But LGBTQ advocates still fiercely oppose it, saying it perpetuates hateful rhetoric. By Emma Platoff, The Texas Tribune Over the tearful opposition of the Legislature’s first-ever LGBTQ Caucus and several failed attempts at a procedural…
Gina Ortiz Jones Running Again to Unseat Texas U.S. Rep. Will Hurd
Gina Ortiz Jones, the Democrat who narrowly lost last year to U.S. Rep. Will Hurd, R-Helotes, is running again. By Patrick Svitek, The Texas Tribune Gina Ortiz Jones, the Democrat who narrowly lost last year to U.S. Rep. Will Hurd, R-Helotes, is running again. Jones, a former Air Force intelligence officer, launched her long-anticipated 2020…
Texas LGBTQ Caucus Marks Major Victory, Killing Bill They Feared Would Hurt Gay People
The LGBTQ Caucus, formed this year, notched a major victory Thursday evening, defeating a controversial measure as the Texas House raced toward a midnight deadline. By Emma Platoff, The Texas Tribune In their first major test, members of the Texas House’s LGBTQ Caucus helped muscle down a bill Thursday night that they characterized as an…
Pro-LGBTQ Bills Look Dead in the Texas House, but Advocates Say They’ve Made Progress
“Having a hearing is sometimes a victory,” said state Rep. Celia Israel, D-Austin, whose conversion therapy ban was debated for the first time this year. By Emma Platoff, The Texas Tribune In every session since she was elected to the Texas House, state Rep. Celia Israel has taken aim at the controversial practice of conversion…