Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) has reportedly notified the Austin Independent School District (AISD) that its upcoming Pride Week requires written consent from parents, as it includes instruction on human sexuality.
"Austin is known to be, at least in Texas, generally progressive," explains Jay Richards, a senior research fellow for The Heritage Foundation. "They've been at the forefront of pushing sexual orientation and gender ideology in the public schools."
Edward Villa of AISD's media department says the district is not worried about the notification, as he claims Pride Week is not about sex education. But Richards advises school officials to think twice.
"I think the Austin school district is making a serious mistake if they think they're going to be able to evade the attention not only of the attorney general of the state, but of parents who are concerned about these things as well," Richards submits.
According to The Daily Signal, the students are being told not to tell their parents about Pride Week activities.
Meanwhile in Arizona, Republican Governor Doug Ducey has signed two bills into law. One prevents biological men who claim to be women from participating in female school sports, and the another prohibits minors in the state from mutilating their bodies with gender reassignment surgery.
Ducey says he signed the two "common-sense" measures — Senate Bill 1138 and Senate Bill 1165 — in an attempt to ensure "that the girls and young women who have dedicated themselves to their sport do not miss out on hard-earned opportunities."
"People have abandoned common sense," laments Rob Chambers of AFA Action. "People have even lost courage to stand up for what is common sense, and I think what the Arizona governor has done here is extremely courageous. He's going against the leftist political fray, much like [Ron] DeSantis (R-FL), and we're seeing many of these states do this."
Chambers believes the country must protect the next generation.
"I applaud the governor for doing this, and I hope many more governors follow suit," he adds.
The AFA spokesman does not think this should be a partisan issue. "Democrats ought to be protecting their children, too," he contends.
Editor's Note: AFA Action is an affiliate of the American Family Association, the parent organization of the American Family News Network, which operates AFN.net.
