The Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council voted unanimously to restore protections for social workers’ LGBTQ and disabled clients after backlash from advocates and lawmakers. By Edgar Walters, The Texas Tribune After backlash from lawmakers and advocates, a state board voted Tuesday to undo a rule change that would have allowed social workers to turn away…
New Texas rule lets social workers turn away clients who are LGBTQ or have a disability
A professional organization of social workers called the change “incredibly disheartening,” while Gov. Greg Abbott’s office said it was necessary to conform with existing state law. By Edgar Walters, The Texas Tribune Texas social workers are criticizing a state regulatory board’s decision this week to remove protections for LGBTQ clients and clients with disabilities who…
Obama Endorses San Antonio Candidates Wendy Davis and Gina Ortiz Jones for U.S. House Seats
San Antonio-area Democrats Wendy Davis and Gina Ortiz Jones are among 27 Texas candidates endorsed by former President Barack Obama ahead of November 3 election. Obama’s announcement was released on August 3. Obama endorsed a total of 118 candidates in 17 states, including five Democratic Senate challengers and more than four dozen state legislative candidates.…
Texas Attorney Gen. Ken Paxton’s Letter to City of Austin Supersedes Local LGBTQ Hiring Law
On May 12, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton wrote a letter of warning to the mayors and county judges of the Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio metropolitan areas saying that local officials could not impose stricter Covid-19 restrictions than those mandated by Governor Greg Abbott. However, in a letter to the City of Austin and…
Texas GOP Primary Ballot Proposition Challenges Rights of Parents With Trans Children
When Texas Republican voters go to the polls for the March 3 primary election, they will have the opportunity to reply to 10 propositions including one that seeks to control the rights of parents with transgender children. The GOP’s proposition raises false alarms about what some have inferred to be the abuse of transgender children…
Backlash Builds against UTEP President Nominee Heather Wilson
Student activists, professors and community members have rallied to oppose Wilson’s nomination, citing her anti-LGBTQ voting record. By Arya Sundaram, The Texas Tribune Earlier this month, Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson was chosen as the next president of the University of Texas at El Paso, with President Donald Trump’s Twitter blessings and praise. But over…
Dan Patrick dismisses need for bathroom bill in 2019: “It’s been settled and I think we won.”
By Emma Platoff, The Texas Tribune At a Governor’s Mansion press conference on the second day of this year’s legislative session, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick — who last session was the top state leader championing the measure, which would have regulated the use of certain public facilities for transgender Texans — suggested there’s no need…
During Debate, Gov. Abbott Says Bathroom Bill No Longer on His Agenda
During the first and only gubernatorial debate with his opponent, former Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said passing a bathroom bill was “not on my agenda,” marking a change from the position he held during the last session of the state legislature. Valdez, the first openly LGBT major party candidate for…
Valdez Agrees to Debate Abbott on Sept. 28 in Austin
By Patrick Svitek, The Texas Tribune Lupe Valdez, the Democratic candidate for governor, has agreed to debate the Republican incumbent, Greg Abbott, on Sept. 28 in Austin, ending weeks of uncertainty over whether the two would face off. Earlier this summer, Abbott announced his RSVP for the Austin debate, which is being hosted by Nexstar…
A Houston Judge Could be Elected First Gay Justice on Texas Supreme Court
A state district court judge from Houston will be on the ballot in November as a candidate for the Texas Supreme Court and if he wins, he will become the first openly gay justice on state’s highest court and the first openly LGBTQ statewide official in Texas history. Democratic Judge Steven Kirkland of Harris County’s…