Texas Thrusts Itself In Lead Role Opposing Transgender People's Bathroom Use

AUSTIN, TX -- Top state officials have launched a full court press against the Obama administration’s guidance to school districts in allowing transgender students use bathrooms corresponding with their sexual identification -- a preemptive strike now utilizing social media to voice their opposition.

The issue has emerged as the latest skirmish in the culture wars, pitting the federal government against conservative lawmakers who view transgender people’s use of bathrooms as a potential public safety threat. In this latest battle, Texas has thrust itself into the front lines.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has taken the lead in voicing the opposition of Texas to the administration’s stance, advising school districts to defy the federal directive predicated on transgender individuals’ civil rights.

Last week, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick fired the first volley, calling for the ouster of the Fort Worth ISD superintendent for instituting transgender student guidelines at district campuses.

“He has placed his own personal political agenda ahead of the more than 86,000 students attending 146 schools in the district by unilaterally adopting ‘Transgender Student Guidelines,’ ” Patrick said of Fort Worth ISD superintendent Kent Scribner. “Without any discussion with parents, board members, principals and other community leaders, Dr. Scribner’s unilateral action underscores this [sic] lack of fitness to hold his position as superintendent."

Patrick’s condemnation occurred on the same day the U.S. Justice Department sued North Carolina for its own policies barring transgender individuals from using public bathrooms according to the gender with which they personally identify.

U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch filed a countersuit against the state of North Carolina, which has drafted its own "bathroom bill" related to transgender individuals use of public bathrooms. Lynch framed the need to file a suit against North Carolina as a historic imperative comparable to civil rights struggles of the past seeking to retain protections outlined in the U.S. Constitution.

Then, the Obama administration issued its call for transgender policy guidelines to school districts nationwide last Friday. The joint letter from the Departments of Education and Justice were sent to schools to ensure “...transgender students enjoy a supportive and non-discriminatory school environment,” the letter read in part.

That’s when Patrick decided to take to the airwaves to ensure his voice -- and by extension the official stance of the GOP-led Legislature -- was heard.

But the televised appearances haven’t gone too well.

Patrick had a spirited exchange with Chris Hayes, host of the MSNBC program “All In With Chris Hayes,” during which he was challenged on his premise that transgender individuals pose a threat to public safety in using the toilets corresponding to their sexual identities.

The interview began with a basic question: “I just want to start making sure everyone understands each other…When you’re transgender, what does that mean to you, Lt. Governor?”

Patrick didn’t answer the question directly, instead re-litigating the Fort Worth ISD case, until he was pressed further: “I can’t give you the definition for every transgender person,” Patrick conceded.

Turning to a friendlier forum, the conservative Fox News, Patrick attempted to present his case restricting transgender individuals’ use of the bathrooms of their choice.

On the Fox appearance, Patrick suggested that letting transgender people use bathrooms or locker rooms corresponding with their identities would lead to men sneaking into those facilities to sexually assault or harass them.

But Fox host Megyn Kelly compromised the logic of Patrick’s premise with a simple query: “Allow men in the ladies’ rooms, or allow trans women in ladies’ rooms?” For Patrick, it went downhill from there.

"You're missing this," Patrick tells Kelly at one point as she challenged his arguments. "Women deserve privacy in the bathroom. There's no need for this policy."

On Tuesday afternoon, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton got into the act, issuing a statement on the issue after joining his counterparts in Oklahoma and West Virginia in sending a letter to the White House challenging the Obama administration's directive related to transgender students.

“The so-called ‘significant guidance’ issued by the Obama Administrations raises more questions than it answers, just as it creates concerns among anyone who believes sex is a biological fact and not a personal preference," Paxton wrote in an email. "As billions of dollars appear to be at stake based upon schools’ compliance with this guidance, the Obama Administration must be extremely clear about what is and isn’t allowed, and explain how their actions do not add requirements to the law, as their letter claims.”

Paxton referenced the potential for schools federal funding to be compromised should Texas not comply with the guidelines. Read the full Paxton letter here.

In the wake of Patrick’s turn on the national news programs, the state’s governor has now lent his voice to the argument against the federal government’s urging of transgender school policies. The economy of words demanded of the Twittersphere allowed Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to state his case succinctly in a tweet sent out on Tuesday.

The governor’s post is decidedly reductive, less focused on the nuances of the complicated issue, and more directed at President Barack Obama’s legacy: “JFK wanted to send a man to the moon. Obama wants to send a man to the women’s restroom. We must get our country back on track.”

Such is the state of the latest skirmish in the cultures wars. And in this heated battleground, Texas has once again thrust itself into a prominent role in this newly opened cultural terrain.

>>> Pictured: Dan Patrick, official state photo