The high court also raised questions about why the state opened these investigations in the first place, noting that the child welfare agency is not bound by directives from the governor. By Eleanor Klibanoff, Texas Tribune Texas’ child welfare agency remains blocked from investigating the family of a transgender teen that sued the state in…
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick wants Texas version of Florida law that critics dubbed “Don’t Say Gay”
The Florida law prohibits teachers from teaching sexual orientation or gender identity to kids below the fourth grade. By Brian Lopez and Emily Hernandez, The Texas Tribune Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said Monday he will prioritize passing Texas legislation that mimics the recently signed Florida bill referred to as the “Don’t Say Gay” law. That…
Group buys billboards in San Antonio, other Texas cities to fight governor’s anti-trans order
The billboards purchased by the Trevor Project will educate the public about life-saving crisis services while spelling out the importance of gender-affirming care. LGBTQ+ advocacy group the Trevor Project has purchased 120 digital billboard ads in Texas’ biggest cities to push back against Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s recent order targeting families of transgender children. The…
Commentary: Texas’ persecution of transgender kids and their families is fundamentally wrong
Ricardo Martinez is CEO of Equality Texas Over the last two years in Texas, in and outside of the Capitol, I’ve stood side by side with the parents of transgender children. I have witnessed the devotion and unconditional love they have for their children. At those events at the Capitol, when I allowed myself a…
ACLU and Lambda Legal sue to block Texas from investigating parents of transgender youth
The parents of a 16-year-old transgender girl have sued Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, alleging they’re being targeted by the state after he ordered that cases where gender-affirming medical care is provided to minors be investigated as child abuse. The suit, filed Tuesday by the ACLU of Texas and Lambda Legal, asks a Travis County judge…
Transgender Texas kids are terrified after governor orders that parents be investigated for child abuse
Some experts doubt that classifying gender-affirming care as child abuse would hold up in court, but families still feel targeted by Gov. Greg Abbott’s new order By Sneha Dey and Karen Brooks Harper, The Texas Tribune Every couple of months, Adamalis Vigil drives eight hours from the Rio Grande Valley to North Texas so her…
Citing LGBTQ-themed books, Gov. Greg Abbott demands removal of ‘pornography’ from Texas schools
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has fired off a letter asking Texas education agencies remove books from schools he described as “pornography,” specifically citing a pair of memoirs about LGBTQ+ characters that include frank descriptions of sex. Abbott’s letter to the Texas Education Agency, Texas State Library and Archives Commission and State Board of Education comes…
How Texas Republicans moved beyond a bathroom bill to successfully ban transgender athletes from school sports
In 2017, conservative lawmakers failed to pass legislation targeting transgender Texans. Things were different this year. By Allyson Waller, The Texas Tribune For state Rep. Celia Israel, the priority issues for the Legislature this year seemed quite obvious as the legislative session got underway in January. She expected lawmakers to grapple over the state’s response…
Texas bill restricting transgender students’ participation in school sports headed to governor’s desk
A bill that marks the Texas GOP’s fourth attempt to pass legislation targeting the participation of transgender student athletes is headed to Gov. Greg Abbott for his signature. The bill, which would bar transgender youths from playing on school sports teams that align with their gender identity, cleared a final hurdle as the Texas House…
Texas bill restricting transgender student athletes’ sports participation sent back to the House with amendment
The bill is one step closer to the governor’s desk. If it becomes law, Texas will join at least five other states that have passed such legislation. By Allyson Waller, The Texas Tribune In the final days of this year’s third special session, Texas lawmakers advanced a bill that would restrict transgender student athletes from…