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.
Texas’ trans youth sports ban now officially in effect
It’s official: Texas now, by law, prohibits transgender youth from participating in school sports on the team properly aligned with their gender identity.
Texas House Bill 25, passed by lawmakers last fall during their third special session of the year and then gleefully and hatefully signed into law by Gov.
Greg Abbott, went into effect this week, on Tuesday, Jan. 18. HB 25 is one of the dozens of bills attacking transgender youth that swept through multiple state legislatures in 2021. Lambda Legal Senior Staff Attorney, Shelly Skeen noted, “HB 25 targets and attempts to further marginalize an already vulnerable student population by denying transgender kids the many benefits and opportunities full and equal participation in interscholastic athletics provides.
It not only excludes them from the leadership skills, teamwork, self-esteem, discipline, health benefits and camaraderie that sports offer, it also sets them apart from their peers each day at school, subjecting them to increased bullying and harassment, which is already all too pervasive in our schools. “No student in our state, or anywhere, should suffer such unfair and unequal treatment simply because of who they are,” Skeen included.
