Texas AG: School District’s Pride Week Is ‘Breaking State Laws’

For at least 14 years now, the Austin Independent School District has held its own Pride Week which includes lessons on diversity, inclusion and acceptance amid some Pride flags and pronoun buttons. But Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) dispatched a letter on Tuesday to the school district declaring the weeklong celebration constitutes “sex education” and holding the event without the consent of parents would be “breaking state law.” Paxton wrote that by hosting Pride Week, the district “has, at best undertaken a week-long instructional effort in human sexuality without parental consent. Or, worse [the] district is cynically pushing a week-long indoctrination of [students] that not only fails to obtain parental consent, but subtly cuts parents out of the loop.” “The Texas Legislature has made it clear that when it comes to sex education, parents—not school districts—are in charge,” Paxton added. Less than an hour after Paxton’s office posted the letter to social media, the school district’s superintendent, Stephanie Elizalde, tweeted back: “I want all our LGBTQIA+ students to know that we are proud of them and that we will protect them against political attacks.”

I want all our LGBTQIA+ students to know that we are proud of them and that we will protect them against political attacks. https://t.co/fNGiaoNM3q

— Dr. Stephanie S. Elizalde (@AustinISDsupt) March 23, 2022

From the school district’s official website:

Every year, to celebrate LGBTQIA+ students, staff and families Austin ISD hosts its own Pride Week, a time to highlight the district’s commitment to creating a safe, supportive and inclusive environment.

This year’s weeklong celebration is March 21-26, which aligns with the National LGBT Health Awareness Week.

District spokesman Jason Stanford told The Washington Post the celebration will continue as planned. “We’re going to react to this by doubling down on making sure our kids feel safe and celebrating Pride,” Stanford said. Related: Biden Condemns Texas Officials’ Attacks On Transgender Youth Stanford added that Paxton’s letter was seen as politically motivated as he’s coming up on a primary runoff in May against another Republican, George P. Bush. “This is not a parental rights issue,” Stanford said. “This is a Ken Paxton trying to score political points issue.”

TX Attorney General Ken Paxton accuses the Austin ISP of breaking state law with Pride Week that he characterized as attempts to indoctrinate students with liberal attitudes on sexual orientation and gender identity. The school district is fighting back.https://t.co/NmzGbR0rW6

— Rainbow Youth Project (@RainbowYouthUSA) March 24, 2022

Paxton has also been embroiled in a federal probe into whether he committed bribery and abused his office. Paxton has denied the allegations. This is the second attack on LGBTQ issues by Paxton in recent weeks. Last month, Paxton issued a non-binding legal opinion arguing that gender-affirming care for transgender teens, such as puberty blockers, amounted to child abuse by parents.  Gov. Greg Abbott followed that with an order directing the state’s child welfare agency to investigate parents who provide this health care to their transgender children. But a district judge blocked that order saying Abbott’s directive was “beyond the scope of his authority and unconstitutional.”