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Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick told supporters he wants state lawmakers to pass a law similar to Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” legislation in the Lone Star State, a report said.
“I will make this law a top priority in the next session,” Patrick said in a campaign email that was obtained by the Texas Tribune.
Florida recently approved the controversial “Parental Rights in Education” law bans public school teachers from teaching or talking about sexual orientation or gender identity to students in third grade and younger.
The law also prohibits any teaching that is not “age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate” for older students. The law also gives parents the option to sue the school if they feel that the law has been violated.
Critics — who dubbed the legislation the “Don’t Say Gay” law — claim that it will have negative effects on LGBTQ children who need gender-affirming instruction in school.
“Gender expression by children is not something that is scary or harmful. What is scary is that political activists are grasping at power by overstepping into the lives of Texas families and education of students,” Texas Freedom Network Executive Director Val Benavidez told the Texas Tribune.
The next legislative session in Texas starts in January. Patrick’s email says he plans to address the matter before then in Education Committee hearings. Patrick’s office did not immediately respond to The Post’s questions about what can be accomplished during those committee hearings and if he has the support of other Texas lawmakers for a “Don’t Say Gay” bill in Texas.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton recently directed the state’s child protective services agency to investigate parents who help their children transition by providing “puberty blockers” or irreversible medical procedures.
The mandate was halted after a Texas court said parents who provide the transition care should not be investigated for child abuse, reports ABC News.
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