Gov. Abbott targets discussions of gender identity in Texas schools

Discussions about gender identity in schools are a likely target for the upcoming legislative session as Gov. Greg Abbott alluded to his support for stopping what he called “indoctrination.” The Republican governor on Sunday tweeted a link to a Fox News article about a Fort Worth teacher who reportedly came out to students and staff as nonbinary and discussed it with the middle schoolers. Abbott responded that lawmakers will “put a stop to this nonsense” during the session that starts Jan. 10. “Schools must get back to fundamentals & stop pushing woke agendas,” he wrote. “We will pass laws to get it done.” A spokeswoman for the governor did not immediately respond to a request for comment seeking clarity on what types of laws Abbott was referencing. This is the latest of several moves by Republican lawmakers signaling an appetite for legislation that targets LGBTQ people, and discussions about gender identity and sexual orientation within schools.

Earlier this year, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said he wants Texas to replicate Florida’s controversial “Don’t Say Gay” law, which forbids instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in the youngest grades. Patrick, also a Republican, controls the legislative direction of the Texas Senate as its president. Tension over how to address gender and sexuality in schools has put students and teachers in the crosshairs of an increasingly bitter political fight. Asked about the Fox News article, Fort Worth ISD spokeswoman Barbara Griffith said the district “addressed the incident when it took place in August, 2022.” She declined to elaborate. Zeph Capo, president of the educator group Texas AFT, criticized the governor for “his quest to invent controversy” in schools. “Greg Abbott has underfunded our schools and made them less safe,” Capo said in a statement. “And he makes them even more dangerous for teachers and their LGBTQIA+ students when he uses his platform to spread this hurtful nonsense.” Nonbinary refers to a person who does not identify exclusively as a man or a woman, or identifies as somewhere in between male and female. Many nonbinary people use they/them pronouns. Some, but not all, also identify as transgender, which refers to someone who identifies as a different gender than that assigned at birth. One recent study estimated there are around 92,900 transgender adults in Texas, and nearly 30,000 between the ages of 13 and 17. During the GOP primary this year, Abbott ordered Child Protective Services to investigate reports of transgender kids receiving gender-affirming care. Although the investigations were put on hold for most families, at least 11 cases were opened and families of transgender children are fighting the directive in court.