In case you were wondering what important business the Texas attorney general is up to this week — in addition to using the power of his current office to try and get elected to the U.S. Senate — here’s an update.
First, in his ongoing efforts to “protect women and children and sports” from the scourge of transgender ideology, Ken Paxton this week issued a civil investigative demand (A CID) to the United States Tennis Association Texas league “as part of his investigation to determine if the organization has violated Texas law by allowing biological males to participate in women’s matches,” according to a press release from Paxton’s office.
The USTA, by the way, is a self-funded nonprofit organization to promote and develop tennis in the United States. That means there are absolutely no public funds or tax dollars involved, although The USTA Foundation does provide grants to community programs using money the organization has raised through donations, fundraisers and partnerships.
In other words, Paxton is not pursuing any common good by harassing USTA over its policies on transgender athletes. This is just another blatantly obvious ruse by Paxton to rile up his voter base by painting trans people as villainous “boogeymen” hell-bent on attacking good, decent Christian people and destroying the American way.
Paxton’s press release says, “The CID requires USTA Texas to produce policies, procedures and documentation regarding biological male participation in women’s events, including how athletes are notified about delusional men competing under the guise of calling themselves ‘transgender’ competitors. The Office of the Attorney General will review whether these practices violate Texas’s Deceptive Trade Practices Act or other consumer protection laws. USTA has sued the OAG and challenged the CID.”
It quotes Paxton as saying, “We will defeat the radical left, which is obsessed with crushing the dreams of so many girls by allowing men to compete against women in sports. If USTA is allowing biological males in women’s matches and misleading players about who they are competing against, my office will take all necessary action within our power to defend Texas women and girls.”
(Insert eye-rolling/head-shaking/disgusted emoji here)
The press release also lists some of Paxton’s other transphobic grandstanding BS, including “numerous legal actions that his office has taken against athletic organizations, including the NCAA and U.S. Masters Swimming, and school boards, including Dallas ISD, to protect the integrity of girls’ sports.”
The 10 Commandments
In other Paxton news, the attorney general this week also filed suit against Round Rock ISD, Leander ISD “and the members of their respective Boards of Trustees for openly refusing to comply with Texas law requiring public schools to display donated copies of the Ten Commandments in each classroom,” notes a second Paxton press release.
“Despite receiving privately donated copies that fully meet the law’s specifications, both districts have refused to display them,” the press release says, adding that Round Rock ISD “confirmed its refusal in a Sept. 15, email from its General Counsel.”
Paxton also recently sued Galveston ISD after its board also refused to display donated copies of the 10 Commandments.
Paxton claims in the press release, ““These rogue ISD officials and board members blatantly disregarded the will of Texas voters who expect the legal and moral heritage of our state to be displayed in accordance with the law. Round Rock ISD and Leander ISD chose to defy a clear statutory mandate, and this lawsuit makes clear that no district may ignore Texas law without consequence.”
It’s worth noting here that the 10 Commandments Paxton is trying to force on Texas schools are the same commandments he violates often and with impunity. I mean, number seven on the list is “Don’t commit adultery.” Paxton is, at this very moment, involved in divorce proceedings filed by his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, after she found out he had cheated on her AGAIN, this time with a “Christian influencer” who was already married to another man.
And keep in mind that a federal district court has already enjoined enforcement of the blatantly unconstitutional law requiring schools to display the 10 Commandments in 11 school districts where 15 multifaith and nonreligious families with students in those districts filed suit in September.
Round Rock, Leander and Galveston are not among those 11 districts, but that injunction makes it pretty obvious the courts are not on Paxton’s side in this fight. Still, Paxton apparently thinks that energizing his bigoted base is worth wasting taxpayer dollars in grandstanding lawsuits and threats against privately funded nonprofits and locally-controlled school districts.
Remember this next year when Election Day rolls around. We are already guaranteed a Paxton-free Office of the Attorney General beginning in 2027, since he isn’t running for re-election to that post. BUT other Republicans sure to be just as right-wing and discriminatory surely are, AND Paxton is running in the GOP Primary to unseat incumbent U.S. Sen. John Cornyn. So use your voting power wisely.
— Tammye Nash