The Texas War On Drag Continues
Last week a senate committee heard testimony on a bill that bars state funds from public libraries that hold events with drag queens, a new cause célèbre among conservatives
State Senate Hearing Takes Testimony On Anti-Trans Bill
A powerful State Senate committee heard testimony on a bill seeking to protect teachers and staff who do not identify students according to their preferred pronouns yesterday. It’s one of many bills expected to be heard in the legislature regarding the erasure of transgender people, and the second to
The Impact Of Tariffs On Texas
With the new tariffs, Texas could lose more than any other state. And the worries go beyond rising costs to even the reliability of our power grid.
First Death Reported In Texas Measles Outbreak
This article was updated Thursday, February 27 to note Robert F. Kennedy's comments about the measles death in a cabinet meeting In a news release, The Texas Department of State Health Services confirmed the first death from a measles outbreak in West Texas. According to the agency the
The Provocative Texas Short Film On Race And Language
To explain the Texas short film, “The Word,” (now available on YouTube), I have to spoil the ending. Don’t worry. You’ll have guessed it by the time you finish reading the next paragraph anyway. The short opens in an opulent boardroom. At one end are two very distinguished
Proud And Black In The Houston Improv Scene
"This offers us space, activities, and laughs. My God, don't we need a laugh right now?”
Trans Advocates And Allies Prepare For Another Harmful Session
Really cruel. That’s how Emmett Schelling describes state leadership. “The leadership of the state largely is not here to be public servants and leaders for us and instead waged really cruel attacks on our entire community, from our youth to our elders,” the executive director of the Transgender Education
Politics
The Texas War On Drag Continues
Last week a senate committee heard testimony on a bill that bars state funds from public libraries that hold events with drag queens, a new cause célèbre among conservatives
The Impact Of Tariffs On Texas
With the new tariffs, Texas could lose more than any other state. And the worries go beyond rising costs to even the reliability of our power grid.
Trans Advocates And Allies Prepare For Another Harmful Session
Really cruel. That’s how Emmett Schelling describes state leadership. “The leadership of the state largely is not here to be public servants and leaders for us and instead waged really cruel attacks on our entire community, from our youth to our elders,” the executive director of the Transgender Education
Dan Patrick Unveils Texas Senate Priorities
Outside of school choice, other priorities for Patrick include several rightwing culture war goals like “placing the ten commandments in school” and “stopping drag time story hour.”
Environment
‘Drill baby, drill’? Not So Fast
Simple economics may complicate Trump’s plans to expand fracking and other oil and gas production.
When An Autopsy Doesn't Tell The Whole Story
Jessica Witzel’s autopsy report raises an important question: How many other heat-related deaths among unhoused residents are being erased by the failure to collect and report accurate data on climate-related mortality?
New Exhibition Tackles Complicated Emotions Of Pollution And People
Thirty years ago this month, the San Jacinto River caught fire. Storms thrown off Hurricane Rosa in Mexico resulted in heavy rains in Houston, flooding the city and rupturing a 40-inch gasoline pipeline. Fuel poured into the river and quickly caught flame. Waves of fire flowed down the water, destroying
Project 2025 Takes Energy Backwards
Earlier this year Texas Signal published an introduction to Project 2025, also known as the Presidential Transition Project. From now until the Election we will be highlighting how Project 2025 would impact the lives of everyday Texans. This week we are taking a deep dive into the chapter on the
Education
State Senate Hearing Takes Testimony On Anti-Trans Bill
A powerful State Senate committee heard testimony on a bill seeking to protect teachers and staff who do not identify students according to their preferred pronouns yesterday. It’s one of many bills expected to be heard in the legislature regarding the erasure of transgender people, and the second to
The Department Of Education Gone Under Project 2025
Earlier this year Texas Signal published an introduction to Project 2025, also known as the Presidential Transition Project. From now until the Election we will be highlighting how Project 2025 would impact the lives of everyday Texans. This week we are taking a deep dive into the chapter on the
Despite Pushback, Voucher Agenda Marches On
For many families in Texas, this week has been dominated by the excitement and jitters of the first days back to school. Even though the temperature is hovering in the triple digits throughout the state, school districts are back in Fall form. For many educators and school employees, this year
Abbott Receives Big Bucks From Voucher Advocates
In June, Greg Abbott released a semi-annual campaign finance report that showed eye-popping figures from two school voucher advocates: Jeff Yass and Jim Walton. The donations, totaling $4.2 million, are a continuing saga in Abbott’s overtures towards school choice backers. Texas is the largest red state that has
Reproductive Rights
A Frank Q&A About Reproductive Rights In Texas
Texas Signal recently spoke with Tara Mancini, the Director of Public Policy for Power to Decide, about how the organization is navigating 2025 and beyond.
Post Dobbs, Texas Experiences Decline In Birth Control Prescriptions
According to a new study, the Dobbs decision which reversed Roe v. Wade has had ramifications well beyond abortion restrictions and bans in red states like Texas. It’s also led to vast declines in prescriptions for birth control pills and emergency contraceptives. The study, led by lead author Dima
Confronting The Reality Of Anti-Abortion Centers
At twenty, Maleeha found herself with an unplanned pregnancy. She had come to America just a year before and was a college student in north Texas. Maleeha had been on birth control and didn’t think it was possible for her to be pregnant. After eight pregnancy tests, though, she
The Texas Reproductive Justice Organization Centering Black Women
Last October The Afiya Center in Dallas officially celebrated its fifteenth anniversary. It’s a milestone Executive Director Marsha Jones wasn’t sure the center would reach. And not because of a lack of dedication from the health professionals and caregivers that comprise the Afiya Center’s staff, but because