Good morning, 

Here is the Texas Minute for Thursday, June 9, 2022.

– Brandon Waltens 

Abbott and Phelan Silent Following Drag Show for Children

• After a “Drag the Kids to Pride” drag show at a Dallas gay bar over the weekend where children, were subjected to nearly naked drag queens dancing up the aisle and were even invited to join them, Texans have expressed outrage that the event was allowed to take place.
   

• Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick spoke out against the practice to Texas Scorecard, saying, “Children shouldn’t be taken to see a drag show – it’s ridiculous.” Patrick also said the issue served as “another example of extreme leftist behavior that will not be tolerated in Texas.”
   

• Two of Texas’ state leaders, however, have been silent on the issue. Four days after the event took place, Gov. Greg Abbott and House Speaker Dade Phelan still haven’t commented on the sexually explicit event.
   

• This is even as a proposal from State Rep. Bryan Slaton (R–Royse City) seeking to ban drag shows for minors has gained national attention, leading state lawmakers in other states to say they would file similar bills.
   

• In Florida, State Rep. Anthony Sabatini said he would follow Slaton’s lead and file a bill to ban inappropriate displays in front of minors. While Gov. Abbott has been silent, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has said he would consider the legislation.
   

• “I think our state, in Florida, we need to be a family-friendly state. We need to be a good state for people to be able to raise a family, get a high-quality education, have a lot of opportunities without having some political agenda shoved down their throats." –Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis

Data Undermines Democrat Push for Gun Control Measures

• With the Uvalde school shooting at Robb Elementary School in late May and last week’s shooting in a hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma, recent pushes by Democrats to ban certain types of guns or enact other forms of gun control laws have become rampant across Texas and the nation.
   

• However, with the calls to place more restrictions on guns in the State of Texas, data provided by the National Rifle Association contradicts what many Democrat legislators believe: In about three decades, violent crime has dropped by more than half, while gun ownership has doubled. Emily Wilkerson has the story.
   

• Still, despite research showing that law-abiding citizens owning guns has been a net positive for the country, Robert “Beto” O’Rourke, the Democrat candidate for Texas governor, has doubled down on his call for banning and confiscating all AR-15s, which he calls “assault rifles.”
   

• While Democrats continue to push for gun control, the research shows that an area is safer when law-abiding citizens are able to exercise their Second Amendment right.

Texas High School Attempts to Block Conservative Student Group

• ​​​Young America’s Foundation was established in 1960 by conservative political commentator William F. Buckley Jr. and has been active in college and university circuits as Young Americans for Freedom chapters since the 1960s.
   
• YAF has made headlines in the past several years for bringing conservative speakers to liberal college campuses and challenging campus speaker policies under the First Amendment.
   
• Sydnie Henry reports, due to YAF’s “controversial” stances, Principal Michael Cagle of Kennedale High School unilaterally decided not to approve a school YAF chapter, despite previously informing students that he would present their submitted materials to the school district’s legal team for approval.
   

• YAF submitted a warning letter to Kennedale High School, explaining that legal action will be taken if the school does not reverse its unconstitutional decision.
   

• Cagle did not respond to Texas Scorecard’s request for comment before publication.

Texans for Vaccine Choice Calls for GOP Priority on Banning Vaccine Mandates

• With the Republican Party of Texas state convention only one week away, Texans for Vaccine Choice (TFVC) is calling for a new GOP priority focused on protecting Texans from vaccine mandates.
   

• Christine Welborn, executive director of TFVC, explained in an interview with Katy Drollinger that the organization believes banning vaccine mandates is a high-priority issue for all Texans because individuals are still being fired for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine.
   

• “We were contacted recently by someone whose daughter is in the Texas National Guard. She’s about to lose her job at the end of the month,” said Welborn. “We’ve had tons of people at various conventions that we’ve gone to … [tell] us that they’ve either lost their job, they might lose their job, or they’re having trouble finding a job in their industry.”
   

• To promote vaccine choice at the convention, TFVC is creating a petition addressed to Gov. Greg Abbott calling for action on vaccine mandates. The group is also encouraging attendees to act as representatives for TFVC and to ask candidates running in the upcoming November election to sign their Vaccine Choice Protection Pledge.

Your Federal & State Lawmakers

The districts displayed here should reflect those recently redrawn by the Legislature. Though the new lines do not take representational effect until 2023, they will appear on the 2022 ballot. Please note that your incumbent legislator and/or district numbers may have changed.