Michael Karlis
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott rails against transgender athletes and crossdressing teachers during a rally in San Antonio last week.
On Jan. 22, groups including Equality Texas, the ACLU of Texas, GLAAS, the Human Rights Campaign and the University of Texas at Austin School of Law Human Rights Clinic submitted a joint letter urging the U.N. to look into civil rights abuses affecting the state's LGBTQ+ community.
“Doing so would bring international awareness, clear recommendations to rectify human rights issues, and undeniable pressure on U.S. public and private entities to ensure equality for LGBTQIA+ Texans in our state,” ACLU of Texas Executive Director Oni K. Blair said in a statement.
The groups referenced seven laws recently passed by the Texas legislature targeting LGBTQ+ Texans. Among other things, those bills — all signed by Abbott — would restrict local governments from enacting non-discriminatory ordinances, ban public drag performances and enable public schools to ban LGBTQ+ books.
Despite the seriousness of the concerns raised by the letter, Abbott tweeted a blunt, six-word response on Sunday: “The U.N. can go pound sand.” He offered no other comment.
More than 140 anti-LGBTQ+ bills were filed during the state’s last legislative session alone, according to the letter.The UN can go pound sand. https://t.co/JpWguPHGHJ
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) February 25, 2024
Ian L. Haddock, founder of the Houston-based Normal Anomaly, a group representing Black and queer Texans, said Abbott's response to the letter shows his willingness to further push aside an already marginalized group.
"The particular things highlighted in the letter were all detrimental to the LGBT community and send the signal that they're not wanted in Texas," Haddock said. "The governor responded in a way that says that LGBT people don't matter in this state and that they don't exist — and it supports the erasure of their identities."
Just the same, Abbott appears to have doubled down in his rhetoric against LGBTQ+ Texans.
During a campaign stop in San Antonio last week supporting Republican House District 121 candidate Marc LaHood, the governor bragged about passing Senate Bill 15, which banned transgender athletes from participating in college sports and railed against “cross-dressing” teachers in Texas public schools.
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