Abbott calls for ban on gender non-conforming teachers, LGBTQ+ educators respond

DALLAS (KXAN) — At the Young Conservatives of Texas' April 19 convention in Dallas, Texas Governor Greg Abbott called for an "end" to gender non-conforming behavior by teachers, according to audio released to KXAN by Texas Observer reporter Steven Monacelli.

During Abbott's keynote speech, the Governor brought up a Lewisville ISD teacher who went viral online after wearing a pink dress as a "Spirit Day" costume.

"In Lewisville, Texas... just a month ago, they had a high school teacher, who is a man, who would go to school dressed as a woman in a dress, high heels and makeup," said Abbott at the conference. "The person... is trying to normalize that this behavior is ok! It's not ok!"

He added that "this behavior" is what he wants to "end in the state of Texas," and said that he feels it would be distracting for students.

According to reporting by KXAS, Hebron High School students had asked their teacher to wear the costume for a February spirit day event. In a statement, the teacher said he resigned to remove attention from the school after "hateful comments" online. Lewisville ISD told KXAS that the teacher didn't violate any school policies.

Abbott did not define that behavior — attire that doesn't meet the Governor's opinions about gender, or more broadly LGBTQ+ teachers. KXAN asked the Governor's Office for clarification, but has not yet received a response.

"I assume the concept would be either gender nonconformity or anything to do with people having gender identities that are more fluid," said Monacelli in an interview with KXAN. "There was some applause from the crowd in response to Abbott's comments about how he wanted to end the behavior of people expressing their gender identities in ways that do not correspond with the traditional binary that he endorses."

Abbott followed the anecdote with a call for state funding of a voucher system.

"If you had a child in that classroom, would you want to be able to say 'hey, wait a second. I'm not gonna send my child to that classroom,'" said Abbott, according to Monacelli. "Do you think you would have that right? You don't... We tried to get school choice passed in the regular session and special session after special session."

According to Monacelli, this speech wasn't the first time Abbott used the Lewisville teacher as an example.

"I think it's possible that we could see banning gender non-conforming teachers become a legislative priority," Monacelli said. "I do think it is very much geared towards a particular subset of people whose religious values or social values make them intolerant to the LGBTQ community. Effectively, they want to segregate themselves from people who are a part of the LGBTQ community. That's the message I think is being sent when Governor Abbott says this is why we need school choice."

LGBTQ+ educators respond

Transgender and gender-nonconforming Texas educators responded anonymously to KXAN about Abbott's speech.

"It goes against every right so many fought for and died to protect," said an Austin ISD educator. "Our constitution was built on the ideas of the freedom of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. These laws are directly going against this. Our country is built on diversity and freedoms, to strip this away is un-American."

A transgender private school teacher said that the Governor's comments has them wanting to move their family out of a state they've called home for over a decade and otherwise don't want to leave.

"Education has been the only career I’ve thrived in and truly cared about. I love getting to know students and families individually and seeing them learn new things and grow as people," they said.

Another LGBTQ+ teacher in Central Texas said that Abbott's remarks "disgusts and angers" them.

"I think Abbott's comments are ludicrous and dangerous," the teacher said. "I think that banning educators who fall under the umbrella of being trans, nonbinary, or gender nonconforming is not only a violation of their rights, but also, it would do a huge disservice to students across the state of Texas."

In a statement, LGBTQ+ education nonprofit GLSEN condemned Abbott's comments, calling it a "shameful display of his ongoing strategy to weaponize state powers against transgender and gender-nonconforming individuals."

"His attempt to 'end' gender expression in classrooms reeks of bigotry and ignorance," said GLSEN Executive Director Melanie Willingham-Jaggers. "Despite his hateful efforts, LGBTQ+ employees are protected by federal law from workplace discrimination. We have full confidence that his despicable proposition will meet its rightful demise in the face of constitutional challenges, just like many of his other discriminatory bills."

GLSEN recommends that Texas teachers join their educator network for support and resources.

State conservatives voice support

Monacelli's post reporting the Governor's speech drew supportive and sometimes hateful responses from other conservative voices in Texas.

State Republican Executive Committeeman Rolando Garcia pushed back on Monacelli's characterization that Abbott called for banning teachers, and voiced his support of the Governor's remarks.

"He doesn’t even suggest banning anyone from teaching, just not allowing them to play dress up in the classroom. It’s astonishing that this is even considered controversial," Garcia wrote.

Texas GOP Chair Matt Rinaldi and Tarrant County GOP Chair Bo French both said that Abbott was "exactly right."

Texas State Representative Briscoe Cain, R-Harris County, commented "perverts should not be teachers."

Cain followed his incendiary comment with an letter to Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath on Thursday, which asks Morath to direct state superintendents to ignore federal law "redefining 'sex' to encompass 'gender identity.'"

"These proposed changes to Title IX would likely conflict with existing state law," the legislator wrote. "Now is not the time for Texas to wait for legislation to save us from having to take a stand on this issue."

Such a restriction would likely violate both the U.S. Constitution's Supremacy Clause and the Supreme Court's 2020 decision in Bostock v. Clayton County. That ruling determined that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act protects workers from job discrimination related to a worker's sexual orientation or gender identity.

“An employer who fires an individual for being homosexual or transgender fires that person for traits or actions it would not have questioned in members of a different sex,” wrote Justice Neil Gorsuch in the ruling. “Sex plays a necessary and undisguisable role in the decision, exactly what Title VII forbids.”

"For our Governor and leaders in the Republican Party to openly call for a form of blanket discrimination, no matter how it's legislated, that is their clear intent," Monacelli said. "I think that should be deeply unsettling for anyone who cares about civil rights in this country."