Texas Governor Promises Ban on ‘Gay Porn’ in Public Schools in Speech
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Texas Governor Greg Abbott promised to get “gay porn” out of public schools, referring to young adult books with LGBT content, and pledged “parental bill of rights” legislation in a campaign speech in San Antonio Monday night.
“Educators who provide pornographic material will lose their credentials, forfeit their retirement benefits and be placed on a ‘do not hire list,’” said Abbott.
Celebrating the critical role local, regional, & statewide economic development teams play in job creation, business expansion, & business retention in communities all across the Lone Star State!
Proclaiming May 9–13 #EconDevWeekTEXAS! @TexasEconDevhttps://t.co/V3vNrEArLk pic.twitter.com/YudrJW4xbF
— Gov. Greg Abbott (@GovAbbott) May 9, 2022
Abbott is referring to two LGBT books that were removed from Texas public school libraries for what he called “pornographic” and “overtly sexual and pornographic acts” in a 2021 letter to the state board of education.
The governor’s latest proposals for a parental bill of rights are additions to an existing parents’ bill of rights in which he called for Critical Race Theory to be banned in public schools, among other provisions.
At his campaign event Thursday, he signed a pledge to pass the bill of rights into law if he wins re-election. The plan draws a sharp contrast with his opponent.
Beto O’Rourke, a Democrat from El Paso, tweeted that Abbott’s plan would defund public schools.
Abbott is for defunding our public schools.
I’m for fully funding our kids’ classrooms and fully supporting parents, teachers, and students. https://t.co/jycFp9XO40
— Beto O’Rourke (@BetoORourke) May 10, 2022
“I’m for fully funding our kids’ classrooms and fully supporting parents, teachers, and students,” O’Rourke said in the tweet.
O’Rourke spent Mother’s Day visiting the family of an LGBT youth whose parents are being investigated by the state of Texas for child abuse at Abbott’s direction.
In February, Abbott said parents providing “puberty blockers” or medical procedures that help their children transition would be investigated for child abuse.
It was an honor to share a beer with @BetoORourke as he cooked a mother’s day meal for @mrsbriggle. #ProtectTransKids pic.twitter.com/zv57Npal1U
— Adam Briggle (He/Him) (@adambriggle) May 9, 2022
O’Rourke visited the Briggles in Denton (north of Dallas), cooked them a Mother’s Day meal and even shared a beer with them, the family tweeted.