10 Jun 29 - July 5, 2023 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents in favor of impeachment, some ultraconser- vative officials are breaking with the lower chamber to defend the Trump-endorsed AG. The party’s resolution railed against the supposedly “illegal circumstances” sur- rounding Paxton’s impeachment, arguing in part that at least six of the 20 impeachment articles had been “based on events alleged to have taken place before” the first day of his current term. It also states that Paxton wasn’t allowed to provide “any rebuttal evidence or testimony,” even though he’d offered. The Texas GOP’s governing board, the State Republican Executive Committee, re- portedly passed the resolution several days ago, but the party posted the text on June 20. Party leaders are demanding the dis- missal of the impeachment articles, which detail misconduct claims including bribery, obstruction of justice and dereliction of duty. They want Paxton to be allowed to re- turn to office. They further claim the Texas House “failed to satisfy due process, to comply with applicable Texas law, and to adhere to prec- edent,” also noting it’s the party’s “sincere desire” that Texas “not become a banana re- public.” This comes as lawmakers were set to meet Tuesday to consider the rules for Pax- ton’s impending Senate impeachment trial. Paxton, who’s faced allegations that he helped his mistress land a job with a politi- cal donor, has denied wrongdoing and slammed the impeachment as “a politically motivated sham.” Paxton’s wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton of McKinney, tweeted a statement on Monday indicating that she won’t recuse herself from her husband’s trial. She wrote that she swore to uphold Texas law, which “compels each member of the Senate to attend when the Senate meets as a court of impeachment. “As a member of the Senate, I hold these obligations sacred and I will carry out my duties, not because it is easy, but because the Constitution demands it and because my constituents deserve it,” her statement con- tinued. Over the weekend, state GOP party Chair Matt Rinaldi retweeted a Paxton-related post. “The grassroots just watched a duly elected MAGA AG removed from office with Dem help,” the original post read. “Not ex- actly a shock they are pissed. Hell is coming in the primaries. #txlege.” Rinaldi’s two cents? “He’s not wrong.” ▼ LGBTQ RIGHTS AND WRONGS INTERIM TEXAS AG: PROTECTING TRANSGENDER STUDENTS UNDER TITLE IX IS ‘ILLEGAL.’ BY KELLY DEARMORE T he elected attorney general of Texas may be taking it easy while he’s sus- pended from his duties these days, but that doesn’t mean the office he once in- habited is any less busy. And make no mis- take, the office, under the leadership of interim Attorney General John Scott, is still chasing the sorts of cases on which the re- cently impeached Ken Paxton has built his ultraconservative political reputation. Continuing its long-running trend of tar- geting the president with lawsuits, the Texas AG’s office this week announced it is suing the Biden administration over what it has deemed an “unlawful interpretation of Title IX.” Specifically, the state takes issue with the federal government’s April decision to have schools include transgender students under the scope of Title IX, the federal law barring sex discrimination in schools. “Under [President Joe] Biden, the De- partment of Education has issued guidance arbitrarily expanding this category to in- clude ‘sexual orientation’ and ‘gender iden- tity,’” says a press release. “The guidance risks federal education funding for Texas colleges and universities as well as all Texas K–12 schools receiving any amount of fed- eral funding by unlawfully asserting that these conceptions pro- moted by the extremist transgender movement are covered by Title IX protections.” Title IX, established more than 50 years ago, is designed to protect people from discrimina- tion based on sex in edu- cational activities. The recent change of inter- pretation to Title IX by the Biden administration calls for transgen- der students to be protected under the rule. This comes after a 2021 decision to place LGBTQ students under Title IX’s umbrella. Here’s the rub: This federal mandate goes against Texas’ moves in 2021 (for grades K–12) and this year (for colleges) to keep transgender students from participat- ing in sports unless they do so as the gender they were assigned at birth. The bathroom debate that was all the rage eight years ago gets a shout-out here, as does the latest conservative war against pro- nouns. “Examples purported by the Biden Ad- ministration to be violations of Title IX in- clude teachers failing to forcibly compel students to use classmates’ so-called ‘pre- ferred pronouns,’ schools’ policies enforcing separate bathroom facilities for biological males and females, and schools’ policies re- fusing to allow biological males to compete on female sports teams. Under this doctrine, Texas schools would be investigated by the federal government for following Texas law, including Chapter 33 of the Education Code protecting the integrity of school athletics participation on the basis of biological sex.” The state suggests schools that do not comply with the latest Title IX inclusions could lose federal funding. Johnathan Gooch, the communications director for LGBTQ ad- vocacy group Equality Texas, suggests that sticking to the laws that are in place is a good starting point for schools in the state. “When the Supreme Court ruled that trans people are protected under federal civil rights law, they were right,” he said. “If we want to be a nation that values and respects every American, we must start by valuing and respect- ing every student.” In 2020 the Supreme Court ruled that the Civil Rights Act protected gay, lesbian and transgender citizens from employ- ment discrimination. This lawsuit shares some key similarities to a 2022 lawsuit Paxton filed against the Biden administration regarding federal funding for faith-based adoption agencies. Paxton argued that adoption agencies should be allowed to deny services to LG- BTQ parents based on the agencies’ opposi- tion to homosexuality and still receive federal funds. Here, interim AG Scott argues that schools should still receive federal funding they would otherwise have coming their way while not honoring the Biden ad- ministration’s interpretation of Title IX. “School is supposed to be a safe space for all kids, including trans kids, to learn and grow,” Gooch says. “Using the right pro- nouns is a basic human right that most cis people take for granted. Our trans students deserve to receive the same respect as their peers, so why is the AG suing to allow teach- ers to discriminate?” Brandon Bell/Getty Images Transgender rights activists gather during International Women’s Day in Austin. “WHEN THEY SEE THEIR SCHOOLS CLOSING OR THEIR KIDS NOT HAVING A TEACHER FOR A WHOLE YEAR, HOPEFULLY THAT WILL FINALLY BE A WAKE-UP CALL.” - ROSIE CURTS, DALLAS ISD TEACHER Unfair Park from p8 D DIGITAL MARKETING ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE INTERESTED CANDIDATES PLEASE SEND YOUR COVER LETTER AND RESUME TO CHARLIE. CHARLIE. DONDLINGER @DALLASOBSERVER.COM
