Toilet-Trolling Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick Admits He Doesn’t Know A Transgender Person

Tells All Schools to Ignore Obama Administration Guidelines on Protecting Transgender Children’s Civil Rights

GOP Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who’s emerged in recent weeks as one of the nation’s leading opponents of transgender rights, said in a press conference Tuesday that he doesn’t even know a trans person. 

Patrick made the admission during a press conference where he revealed the latest move in his ongoing crusade to bar trans people from using restrooms based on their gender identity. 

Patrick announced that he’s seeking a legal opinion from Texas anti-LGBT Attorney General Ken Paxton about whether the Fort Worth’s school district’s recently enacted transgender guidelines violate state law. 

“When we have a rogue, runaway superintendent, and a rogue, runaway school board, then the Legislature this upcoming session is going to have to look at this issue,” Patrick said, before again calling for Fort Worth Superintendent Kent Scribner to resign. 

The guidelines enacted by Superintendent Scribner last month, which grew out of the district’s 2011 nondiscrimination policy, allow trans students to use restrooms based on their gender identity. They also require teachers to use students’ preferred names and pronouns, and prohibit staff from disclosing student’s gender identity, including to parents, except on a need-to-know basis. 

Patrick claims the guidelines violate a section of the Texas Education Code related to parental rights. He also says they were adopted illegally because the school board never voted on them. However, even if Paxton agrees — which he seems likely to do — the opinion would be non-binding. 

In response to backlash over the guidelines, Fort Worth officials have scheduled several community forums beginning this week to discuss them. Patrick called the forums “sham hearings” since the district has said it has no intention of repealing the guidelines.

Patrick also said he plans to send a letter to all Texas districts encouraging them not to follow the Obama administration’s recent directive requiring public schools to allow trans students to use restrooms based on their gender identity. 

Last week, Paxton’s office filed a lawsuit over the directive on behalf of Texas and nine other states.  

Following Patrick’s announcement Tuesday, Equality Texas staged its own press conference featuring parents of trans children. 

EARLIER:

Texas GOP Leaders’ Anti-Trans Rhetoric Already Hurting State Economically, Expert Says

White House Slams Texas Lt Gov Outraged Over Transgender Directive as ‘A Right Wing Radio Host’

Watch: Texas Lt Governor Invokes Religion to Tell Schools to Ignore Obama Transgender Directive

 

Video: Amercan-Statesman
Image by Mark Wiggins via Twitter