Today TFN President Kathy Miller spoke along with representatives of our partner organizations on a national press call about Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick trying to pass a “bathroom bill” and other anti-LGBT discriminatory legislation in the coming special session of the Texas Legislature. The special session begins Tuesday (July 18). Here’s the statement Kathy made during the national press call:…… Read More

Today Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law a deeply divisive and discriminatory bill allowing the use of religion to discriminate against LGBT Texans and others in adoption and foster care services. We just sent out the following statement.… Read More

TFN PRESIDENT: GOV. ABBOTT IS DOUBLING DOWN ON THE CULTURE WARS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 6, 2017

Texas Freedom Network President Kathy Miller has the following statement on Gov. Greg Abbott’s announcement calling back the Texas Legislature for a special session beginning July 18 to address various issues, including divisive, culture war topics like public restroom regulations, abortion and private school vouchers:

“Instead of forcing the Legislature to focus on bills that will really help everyday Texans, Gov. Abbott wants taxpayers once again to pay for lawmakers to turn the Capitol into a playground for their culture war obsessions. Texas faces a lot of important challenges, but how to humiliate and discriminate against transgender people in public restrooms, shame women and make it harder for them to obtain safe and legal abortion care, and undermine our neighborhood public schools with misguided voucher schemes are simply not among them. The Legislature already passed bills this session to promote discrimination against LGBT Texans and make abortion access even more difficult. But apparently even those bills weren’t extreme enough for the governor. Calling lawmakers back to Austin means simply doubling down on the culture wars. Frankly, stunts like… Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 29, 2017

Texas Freedom Network President Kathy Miller has the follow statement on the end of the Texas legislative session today:

“When it comes to civil liberties and basic human rights, the Legislature gave Texas a big black eye this session. It’s disheartening that our lawmakers spent so much time trying to dictate which bathrooms people can use, justify discrimination against people because of who they are, and keep women from deciding for themselves whether and when to have children. Too many lawmakers in this state think their primary job is to play culture warrior and please their political base rather than work to solve the real challenges facing Texas families.”

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The Texas Freedom Network is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization of religious and community leaders who support religious freedom, individual liberties and public education.… Read More

TFN PRESIDENT: STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION MEMBERS WILL USE THIS BILL TO RETURN TEXAS TO THE WORST YEARS OF THE TEXTBOOK WARS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 28, 2017

AUSTIN – Texas Freedom Network President Kathy Miller is warning that today’s passage of SB801 by the House and Senate threatens to return Texas to the worst years of textbook censorship by the State Board of Education.

SB801 allows the state board to determine whether content in textbooks under consideration for use in Texas public schools is “suitable for the subject and grade level.” Current state board member and former chair Barbara Cargill, R–The Woodlands, has already made clear she and her colleagues will use that provision to reject textbook content they don’t like.

Prior to 1995, state board members sometimes demanded hundreds of changes to textbook content they didn’t like, often for personal or political reasons rather than factual accuracy. If publishers didn’t make the changes, the state board could reject their textbooks for use in Texas public schools. But in 1995 the Legislature finally reined in this authority, requiring that the board approve any textbook that conforms to the state’s curriculum standards and is free… Read More