Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has a message for civil rights groups raising concerns about LGBT rights in the state.
On Sunday, Abbott shared an article about a letter sent to the United Nations from Equality Texas, ACLU of Texas, GLAAD, the Human Rights Campaign, and the University of Texas at Austin School of Law Human Rights Clinic.
“The UN can go pound sand,” the governor wrote on X.
The UN can go pound sand. https://t.co/JpWguPHGHJ
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) February 25, 2024
In a press release, the organizations said they were aiming to raise concerns about the alleged “human rights crisis facing LGBTQIA+ Texans.”
“After a record-breaking legislative session in Texas—over 140 anti-LGBTQIA+ bills filed, Texans are now struggling with a collection of new laws that eliminate medical freedom for trans youth, censor school libraries, ban trans athletes from participating in collegiate sports, end DEI practices at public universities, threaten drag performance, and undermine local government’s already limited power,” the statement asserted. “Together these laws are a systemic attack on the fundamental rights, dignities, and identities of LGBTQIA+ persons that opens the gates for discrimination by both public and private actors.”
It continued:
“The state’s discrimination has gone unchecked to the point that state officials are now policing other states with unconstitutional laws. Just as state laws must defer to federal laws, so too the Constitution states that they must yield to international treaties that have been ratified by the federal government.”
The letter focused on several bills that allegedly “intentionally target or disproportionately impact LGBTQIA+ Texans.”
Some bills listed include SB17 that would prevent public universities from “maintaining DEI programs.”
Another bill is SB15 which would block “trans athletes from competing at the collegiate level.”
“The letter spells out how these laws violate the U.S.’s obligation under the ICCPR and other human rights treaties. Specifically, they violate Texans’ right to non-discrimination, right to privacy, right to health, right to freedom of expression, and right to education,” the letter insisted.
In a statement, Oni K. Blair, the executive director of the ACLU of Texas said, “As a former U.S. diplomat who currently leads the ACLU of Texas, I believe there is sufficient evidence for the United Nations to investigate the barrage of civil rights abuses in Texas, especially those targeting the LGBTQIA+ 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. We join a long line of advocates who have appealed to international organizations to hold U.S. institutions accountable for protecting the human rights of all people, no exceptions,” she added.