The governor of Texas, Greg Abbott (R), has stated that he aims to eliminate the presence of transgender and gender non-conforming teachers in his state. His commitment might conflict with a 2020 Supreme Court decision that prohibits discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals in the workplace based on their gender identity.
In his speech at the Young Conservatives of Texas convention in Dallas last Friday, Abbott mentioned Rachmad Tjachyadi, a former teacher in Lewisville, Texas, who resigned in March after facing harassment from an anti-LGBTQ+ influencer named Chaya Raichik, who is known as Libs of TikTok on social media.
Abbott told the convention, “There was a male high school teacher who would come to school dressed as a woman in a dress, high heels, and makeup. What impact do you think this had on the students in that classroom? Were they able to concentrate on the subject being taught by this person? I'm not sure.”
Abbott continued, “This individual, a man dressing as a woman in a public high school in Texas, is attempting to normalize this type of behavior. This behavior is not acceptable, and we want to ensure it is stopped in Texas.”
Last March, Raichik published photos of Tjachyadi wearing dresses during various school events. Raichik baselessly claimed that he had a “fetish for wearing women’s clothes.”
Raichik’s posts were shared by anti-LGBTQ+ personalities, including Abbott, who used the “controversy” to promote his backing of school voucher programs. He wrote in a post, “No parent should be compelled by the state to send their child to this school.” (Opponents of such voucher programs argue that they siphon public funds away from public education and toward private schools that can reject students.)
Over 20,000 people signed a petition in support of Tjachyadi, describing him as a dedicated and hard-working teacher. An internal review by the Lewisville Independent School District determined that Tjachyadi had not violated any school policies. Nevertheless, he resigned. Parents said that targeting him ultimately harmed students by depriving them of a dedicated educator.
Abbott’s vow to eliminate the presence of transgender and gender non-conforming teachers contradicts the 2020 Supreme Court ruling in the case of Bostock v. Clayton County. In that case, the court determined that discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals in the workplace violates federal laws prohibiting discrimination based on gender.
However, Matt Rinaldi, the chairman of the Republican Party of Texas, agreed with Abbott’s statement, stating in a post, “@GregAbbott_TX is exactly right.”
Responding to Abbott’s comments, transgender investigative journalist Erin Reed noted, “Many people are watching to see if the Republican Party will rely on anti-trans politics in the 2024 election. This may indicate that at least some people in Texas will do so. If that's the case, it may not be successful – anti-trans campaigning faced significant failure in the 2022 and 2023 elections.”
Abbott has a lengthy track record of taking actions against the LGBTQ+ community.
Abbott has tried to categorize gender-affirming care as a form of child abuse in order for the state to potentially remove trans children from their parents if their parents supported their identities. The state's highest court has halted the enforcement of that directive for numerous trans-supportive families under investigation.
While serving as governor, the state has barred doctors from offering gender-affirming care to transgender minors, despite the endorsement of such care by major medical organizations in the U.S. Trans students are also prohibited from participating in school sports based on their gender in the state. The state government has even gone as far as to request private medical records of trans teens.
Abbott signed a ban on drag shows last June. In September, a judge deemed the law unconstitutional. Abbott has also enacted a prohibition on “sexually explicit” materials in school libraries which are being used to target LGBTQ+ books, a statute forbidding local governments from offering anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ individuals, and a restriction on inclusivity programs at public universities that has subsequently been used to eradicate LGBTQ+ spaces at public universities and HIV testing programs.
Abbott’s prejudiced policies drove LGBTQ+ advocacy groups to submit a petition for the U.N. to investigate Texas for potential anti-LGBTQ+ human rights violations.
