LGBTQ+ Clubs Targeted With New DEI Ban
One of the final bills passed in the legislature is a sweeping ban on DEI in public schools
Late Saturday, emotions reached a fever-pitch on the Texas House floor. To see tempers flaring from lawmakers is nothing new in the lone star state, but the occasion for this outburst stemmed from the passage of a bill, Senate Bill 12, that bans all diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in K-12 schools.
SB 12 was being marketed as a parental bill of rights in public education. The bill not only bans DEI in hiring practices for schools but also prevents schools from implementing programs or policies that reference "race, ethnicity or sexual orientation."
The sweeping language of the bill would also prohibit LGBTQ+ clubs or organizations, like a Gay-Straight Alliance, on any Texas public school campus. Democratic representatives became incensed after one exchange on Saturday when House Sponsor Rep. Jeff Leach referred to these affinity organizations as “sexual in nature.”
Leach’s comments occurred as he was being questioned by Rep. Erin Zwiener. She mentioned that her grandfather was an attorney who represented the state of Texas on numerous occasions, including in front of the Supreme Court defending Texas A&M from denying a campus club for gay students.
Leach replied that SB 12 only applies to K-12 students, but nonetheless does “put a ban that would prevent a fourth or eighth grader” from joining a club he deemed “sexual in nature.”
Video of exchange between Leach and Zwiener
“We’re not going to be allowing gay clubs and we’re not going to be allowing straight clubs, we should not be sexualizing our kids in public schools period,” said Leach.
This prompted a response from several other Democratic representatives who noted the cruelty of taking away a resource for many LGBTQ+ young Texans. Rep. Nicole Collier also reflected on the vast nature of the bill, which would also prohibit a Black or Hispanic student unions. “What this bill is doing is pushing our Black, Brown, LGBTQ+ people into the shadows of the dark as if we are not accepted and it hurts,” she said.
SB 12 already passed the Senate and is headed toward the Governor. Ash Hall, a policy and advocacy strategist for the ACLU of Texas, released a statement about the bill.
“Let’s be clear: Senate Bill 12 is not about protecting students — it’s about enforcing a narrow vision of who belongs in our state,” they wrote. “This bill not only violates students’ constitutional rights, it also aims to censor the truth, whitewash history, and punish educators for fostering a welcoming environment where every student can thrive."
