Texas school district asks students for their gender identities and sexual orientations... ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Good morning,

A school district in Texas is under fire for surveying students about their "gender identities" and sexual attractions.

This is the Texas Minute for Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan

Cornyn Loses Race for Senate Majority Leader

A contentious race among Republicans for U.S. Senate majority leader has resulted in a 29-24 win for South Dakota Sen. John Thune over Sen. John Cornyn of Texas. Valerie Muñoz has the story.
Florida’s Sen. Rick Scott, a popular candidate with Trump allies, lost the race after the first ballot with 13 votes.
Cornyn's candidacy met fierce opposition from Republican activists in Texas. That included resolutions and public statements from party officials around the state, including Dallas, Tarrant, and Williamson counties.

Taxpayer-funded Lobbying Ban Prioritized in '25?

Several different versions of legislation seeking to ban taxpayer-funded lobbying have been filed in both chambers of the Texas Legislature. Brandon Waltens reports that the issue has been a longtime priority for taxpayer advocates and the Republican Party.
Taxpayer-funded lobbying refers to a common practice among cities, counties, and school districts that hire lobbyists with local tax revenue. These lobbyists then work to advance policies that benefit local governments—often working at odds with the citizens.
A recent study by the Huffines Liberty Foundation revealed that local governments spent about $75 million on registered lobbyists in 2021. That figure does not include the salaries of in-house lobbyists and funds funneled to pro-government associations lobbying on behalf of the taxing entities.
In the Texas Senate, legislation was filed by Mayes Middleton (R–Galveston)—a longtime advocate of a ban. He wants to impose an outright prohibition on public funds from being used to hire lobbyists.
Similar legislation has also been filed in the House by several lawmakers, including State Reps. Briscoe Cain (R-Deer Park), Ellen Troxclair (R-Lakeway), and Terri Leo-Wilson (R-Galveston).

Lawmakers Seek to Ban Hostile Foreign Countries From Buying Texas Land

Legislation focused on protecting Texas land from hostile foreign ownership has been filed in the House after being blocked by leadership in 2023. Addie Hovland reports on measures filed by Republican State Reps. David Spiller of Jacksboro and Briscoe Cain of Deer Park.
Spiller’s legislation does not target individuals, just governments identified as national security risks. In contrast, Cain would also ban citizens of those countries from purchasing Texas land.
The issue is a top priority for the Republican Party of Texas.
In May, House Speaker Dade Phelan formed a legislative committee to study a potential ban on Chinese land ownership.

Incoming ‘Border Czar’ Tom Homan Pledges to Save Smuggled Children

Incoming “border czar” Tom Homan has vowed to locate and save hundreds of thousands of children who were smuggled into the United States. Will Biagini reports on Homan's recent public comments.
It was revealed earlier this year that thousands of minor children who had been brought illegally into the country have gone missing while under the supervision of the Biden-Harris administration.
“We have over half a million children that were smuggled into this country by criminal cartels that this administration released to so-called ‘sponsors,’” said Homan in an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity. “We’ll put them back with their families—that’s what President Trump is committed to doing.”

El Paso ISD Asks Students For Their Gender Identities and Sexual Orientations

El Paso Independent School District circulated a survey to students in the 9th through 12th grades, asking for the students’ gender identities and sexual preferences. Emily Medeiros has the details.
The “Equity Assessment Survey” surfaced in late October after a community member sounded the alarm. It has also been allegedly given to students as young as eight years old.
Parents were reportedly sent an opt-out form via email. Yet, many recipients said the emails landed in their “spam” or “junk” folders.
In both English and Spanish, the school district's survey asks students to identify their gender identity and to state whether or not they consider themselves to be “LGBTQIA+”—and then defines the various sexual attractions those letters stand for.
Brady Gray, the president of the Texas Family Project, said EPISD should be worrying more about students’ academic success than their gender identities and sexual orientations.