A federal judge in Texas on Friday temporarily blocked some public school districts from enforcing a state law that banned student clubs based on gender identity or expression, such as L.G.B.T.Q. clubs or gender and sexuality alliances.
The law, signed last year by Gov. Greg Abbott, also prohibits employees at K-12 public and charter schools from “assisting” students with socially transitioning between genders, including through name or pronoun changes. The law was the first in the nation to explicitly ban L.G.B.T.Q. student clubs, and it is among the most far-reaching anti-diversity initiatives.
The Friday ruling from Judge Charles Eskridge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas applies only to the three school districts that were named as defendants in the suit, the Houston, Katy and Plano districts. In the suit, filed by two nonprofit organizations, a labor union representing school employees, two high school students and a teacher, the plaintiffs argued that the law “censors huge swaths of constitutionally protected speech.”
Cameron Samuels, the executive director of Students Engaged in Advancing Texas, one of the plaintiffs, applauded the ruling in a statement on Friday.
“Today’s ruling reminds us that queer and trans students’ resilience and joy are here to stay,” the statement said. “We won’t stop fighting until all Texas students are guaranteed safe and welcoming school environments.”
The school districts and the Texas Education Agency did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Pooja Salhotra covers breaking news across the United States.
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