Gregory Wayne Abbott (born November 13, 1957) is an American attorney who has served as the 48th governor of Texas since January 20, 2015. A member of the Republican Party, Abbott previously served as the 50th attorney general of Texas from 2002 to 2015. He is the third governor of any U.S. state to permanently use a wheelchair. He is also the first disabled governor in Texas history.
President Joe Biden today (Wednesday, June 15) issued an executive order pledging to “combat unlawful discrimination and eliminate disparities that harm LGBTQI+ individuals and their families, defend their rights and safety, and pursue a comprehensive approach to delivering the full promise of equality for LGBTQI+ individuals.” President Biden said the main focus of the order is protecting LGBTQ youth who are increasingly targets of state legislation that limits access to health care and creates unsupportive school environments.
According to the Williams Institute, some 2 million youth ages 13-17 in the U.S. identify as LGBT, including 300,000 who identify as transgender.
In the executive order, the president said, “The federal government must take action to address the significant disparities that LGBTQI+ youth face in the foster care system, the misuse of state and local child welfare agencies to target LGBTQI+ youth and families and the mental health needs of LGBTQI+ youth.” Texas is one of the states that has been specifically targeting transgender youth and their families.
Gov. Greg Abbott called three special sessions after last year’s regular session of the Texas Legislature, focusing on passing not only one of the most restrictive anti-abortion bills in the country but also a measure banning trans youth from participating in school sports based on their gender identity.