Sid Miller’s Texas Department of Agriculture adopts new anti-LGBTQ+ dress code

The top official at the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) has issued a memo telling workers they must dress “in a manner consistent with their biological gender,” according to a copy of the document obtained by the Texas Observer.

The order — the latest attack by the Republican-controlled state government on transgender and gender-nonconforming people — was delivered to TDA personnel last Monday, according to the Observer. It includes a threat that they could be fired if they don’t comply, the memo shows.

“Employees are expected to comply with this dress code in a manner consistent with their biological gender,” reads the memo, posted in full on the Observer‘s website. “Violation of this agency policy includes remedies up to and including termination.”

The document is signed by TDA Commissioner Sid Miller, a conservative Republican with a history of making offensive social media comments targeting women and people of color. Those have included urging the U.S. to bomb the “Muslim World” and calling Hillary Clinton a “cunt.”

During former President Donald Trump’s time in office, Miller also gave a full-throated endorsement of the former reality show star’s claim that he would ban transgender people from serving in the armed forces.

“The United States Military is not the place for leftist social experimentation,” Miller said in a statement to the Texas Tribune after Trump announced the plan via tweet.

TDA spokesman Reb Wayne declined comment on Current‘s inquiry, saying he would email a statement should department officials decide to comment on the memo.

The Observer noted that it’s unclear whether the dress code change originated from Miller’s office or came from higher up. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has repeatedly engaged in anti-trans rhetoric and thrown support behind bills aimed at curbing the rights of transgender Texans.

Ahead of the latest election, Abbott ordered state child welfare officials to conduct investigations of parents who obtain legal gender-affirming care for their minor children — a demand since thwarted by the courts.

The restrictions outlined in the new TDA memo replace the dress code contained in the department’s rulebook, according to the Observer‘s reporting. The book’s dress code doesn’t refer to “biological gender.”

A TDA employee who spoke to the Observer on condition of anonymity said they worry about the fate of LGBTQ+ workers at the agency and those who speak out against the dress code.

“We have women, people of color in leadership, and the staff is just about as diverse as it can be,” the person said.

“We should not allow this to be normalized,” they added. “It definitely feels like it threatens the safety of anyone who doesn’t conform to the binary dress code.” 

Coming soon: SA Current Daily newsletter. We’ll send you a handful of interesting San Antonio stories every morning. Subscribe now to not miss a thing.

Follow us: Google News | NewsBreak | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

This article appears in Apr 19 – May 2, 2023.