Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick Doesn’t Care if His Anti-LGBT Bigotry Costs Texas the 2018 Final Four

Apparently Unfazed by NCAA Announcement, Lt. Governor Recklessly Risks $75 Million for San Antonio

Republican Dan Patrick, Texas’ rabidly anti-LGBT lieutenant governor, apparently plans to plow ahead with legislation similar to North Carolina’s House Bill 2 despite the risk of losing the 2018 Final Four, slated for San Antonio. 

Last week, in response to HB2, the NCAA unveiled a new questionnaire for host cities that asks whether they protect LGBT people against discrimination. 

San Antonio has an LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination ordinance, but Patrick wants to override local protections by passing a state law barring transgender people from using public restrooms based on gender identity. 

In the midst of backlash over HB2 in April, Patrick reported on Facebook that he was “totally disgusted with the threats from sports teams, entertainers, and some major corporations who want to punish cities and states who want to keep men out of ladies (SIC) rooms.” 

“The world has gone mad and we must stand and fight,” he wrote. “We shouldn’t even be having this discussion.”

And in May, Patrick dismissed potential economic backlash over anti-LGBT legislation as “bluff” and “bluster.” 

“It’s nonsense,” Patrick said at the Texas GOP convention. “It’s part of the propaganda of the political left. So big deal, some artist doesn’t want to come to some arena, they’ll fill the day with an artist who does. You know, greed works for the entertainment industry. If there’s an open date in a concert hall, someone will book it.” 

In the wake of the NCAA’s announcement — as well as the NBA’s decision to pull next year’s All-Star Game out of Charlotte over HB 2 — I contacted Patrick spokesman Alejandro Garcia to find out whether the lieutenant governor’s tune had changed. As I reported for The Texas Observer, Texas cities have hosted three of the last six Final Fours, and San Antonio officials expect the 2018 event to bring in about $75 million. 

Despite two phone conversations with Garcia, Patrick’s office never responded to my inquiry, and uncharacteristically, he hasn’t even mentioned the developments on social media. So, based on his previous statements, one can only conclude that like North Carolina Republican Gov. Pat McCrory, Patrick is more concerned about pandering to his right-wing base than protecting the state’s economic interests. 

So much for conservative principles. 

 

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