“With HB 1266, Texas children will be prevented from being exposed to overly sexual content that will rob them of their innocence for the sake of furthering radical ideologies.”
State Rep. Nate Schatzline, a Republican from Fort Worth, has filed House Bill 1266, which would ban so-called “family-friendly” drag shows. The bill would amend the Business and Commerce Code to include drag shows as a sexually oriented business, meaning minors would no longer be able to attend.
“With HB 1266, Texas children will be prevented from being exposed to overly sexual content that will rob them of their innocence for the sake of furthering radical ideologies,” Schatzline said.
Republican Texas Sen. Bob Hall introduced legislation Thursday barring classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in public schools.
The bill also requires schools to notify parents when a child receives in-school services for physical, emotional or mental health issues and bars school employees from withholding information from parents’ about a child identifying as transgender. It comes amid growing concerns about the inclusion of classroom lessons and school activities addressing sensitive topics related to gender and sexuality which have triggered other states to restrict such activities.
A strong push for parental rights legislation is expected in this year’s legislative session, as both the Republican Party of Texas and an influential advocacy organization have targeted the issue as a top priority.
The Family Freedom Project, an offshoot of the Texas Homeschool Coalition and a vehement advocate for parental rights, hopes to see the passage of a constitutional amendment providing broad protections for parental rights as well as a comprehensive bill implementing a number of long-needed reforms to Child Protective Services, which some critics have labeled as “out of control.”