The Real Threat To Texas Kids Isn’t ‘Woke Ideology.’ It’s GOP Legislation

How Texas Legislators are prioritizing political pandering over children’s lives.

Joe Moody (D-HD78) wore a Flava Flav clock on Thursday, counting down the deadline for the second reading of House bills.

All week long, the Texas House has been holding all-day marathon sessions, lasting until around midnight. I have no idea how they do it. Many of those reps are twice my age, and I’m exhausted from watching them all week. They must be squeezing in power naps or gallons of coffee because there’s no way anyone can sustain that level of chaos without either a caffeine IV drip or a secret stash of adrenaline shots.

Once again, this shows the stupidity of having a part-time Legislature in a state of 30 million. The human body isn’t built for 100-hour work weeks, and in the last month of the Legislative session, that’s what our legislators are doing. And despite these intense work sessions, thousands of bills will still die because they ran out of time.

• Should The Texas State Legislators Work Full Time With A Living Wage?

Meanwhile, keeping up with every single bill they’re running through this week is nearly impossible. That’s why we’ll have to wait until the Report Cards and Scorecards come out later this year to get a good idea of how our representatives voted on core issues.

But there are some votes we don’t need to wait on.

48 House members voted AGAINST ending child marriages in Texas.

I shit you not. 47 Republicans and one Democrat (underlined) voted against HB168, which raises the minimum legal age for marriage in Texas to 18 years old, regardless of parental consent or court orders, thereby eliminating most exceptions for minors to marry.

Here were those votes:

What kind of mindset does it take to look at a bill that says, “Kids shouldn’t be getting married,” and decide to vote against it? Are they really so entrenched in their ideology, or so beholden to some archaic notion of family values, that they can’t bring themselves to take a stand against child marriage?

What exactly are they defending here? Tradition? Control? Or just sheer obstinance? Whatever it is, it’s downright disturbing.

Remember the bill from Daniel Alders (R-HD06) last week that would ban access to health and puberty-related books in the libraries for minors? I wanted to cross-reference those who voted in favor of that bill and against banning child marriages.

Here are the Republicans who voted against allowing teenagers to learn about their bodies and consent, but also voted in favor of child marriages:

It’s entirely reasonable to feel uneasy about this. It’s human nature to question motives when politicians take a stance that seems so fundamentally wrong. I’m not saying these GOP members are sexual deviants, but I’m also not going to blame you for wondering if they are. When elected officials vote to keep child marriages legal while simultaneously trying to limit teenagers’ access to education about their own bodies, it raises some serious questions. You’re allowed to ask those questions. In fact, you should.

Richard Raymond is not a Democrat.

He’s not even pretending to be one at this point. You know exactly what I mean if you’ve followed his antics throughout this session. Yesterday, at the back mic, he went on a bizarre rant about “true conservatives” and the supposed “Rhino Virus” infecting the Republican Party.

At one point, Raymond went so far as to joke about an executive order from Donald Trump creating the “Rhino Alert Team of Texas” (or “RAT Patrol” as he called it), in which he claimed to be a proud member. You could almost hear the collective double-take from anyone paying attention. Was he serious? Was this some performance art? Or is this just what you get when a supposed Democrat spends so long cozying up to far-right ideologues that he starts to forget what party he’s in?

Let’s discuss this whole “Big Tent Party” concept for a second. In theory, it means we welcome a diverse group of people: those from different racial and ethnic backgrounds, members of the LGBTQ+ community, the working class, women fighting for bodily autonomy, and anyone who believes in justice, equity, and progress.

But lately, it seems like the tent’s getting crowded with people whose ideology aligns with the Republican Party. Are we so desperate to hold onto a seat in Laredo that we’re willing to put up with someone who calls himself a Democrat while openly advocating for conservative policies and praising Trump?

If the “Big Tent” means unquestioningly accepting anyone who runs as a Democrat just because it’s the only way to win in a specific district, then we’ve completely lost the plot. Being a Democrat should mean something. It should mean fighting for progressive values, not pandering to the right.

Meanwhile, the fascists keep screwing with our state…

Republicans vote to legalize discrimination and emotional abuse of LGBTQ+ children.

HB1106 is the latest example of the Texas GOP weaponizing “parental rights” to harm LGBTQ+ children. The bill explicitly states that refusing to affirm a child’s gender identity or sexual orientation does not constitute abuse or neglect. In other words, if parents decide to deadname, misgender, or outright reject their child’s identity, it’s not considered abuse under Texas law.

This is a monumental step backward for LGBTQ+ rights and child welfare.

Venton Jones (D-HD100) spoke powerfully about his own experiences, reminding his colleagues that rejecting a child’s identity isn’t just a difference of opinion, it’s a matter of life and death. Jones described the real consequences of what happens when a child’s identity is attacked at home, including depression, self-harm, and suicide. He even shared his own story of trying to take his life in sixth grade, feeling like he had nowhere to turn.

Matt Shaheen (R-HD66) and his co-sponsors insist the bill is about protecting families, but what it does is give abusive parents legal cover. Imagine being a trans or queer kid who finally finds the courage to speak up, only to have their parents legally protected in shaming, rejecting, or punishing them for who they are.

Jessica Gonzalez (D-HD104) gave a gut-wrenching reminder of Gabriel Fernandez, the 8-year-old tortured and killed because his abusers thought he was gay. She also described the case of Jayvon Thompson, a Texas toddler beaten so severely by his father for “acting gay” that he was hospitalized. Are these the kinds of families that the Texas GOP is protecting?

You’re not alone if you’re reading this and feeling furious, confused, or heartbroken. The passage of this bill shows just how deeply entrenched anti-LGBTQ+ ideology is within the Texas Legislature. Republicans aren’t just ignoring science and human decency, they’re doubling down on cruelty.

Republicans vote to undermine vaccine safety.

While Texas is in the middle of its worst measles outbreak in 25 years, the Texas House just passed a bill that will make it even easier for parents to opt their kids out of vaccinations. Let that sink in.

HB1586 was sold as a “simple change” to make printing a vaccine exemption form easier for parents. But this is not just about a form. It’s about dismantling safeguards that protect children and communities from preventable diseases.

Instead of requesting the form through a formal process, parents can now download it from the DSHS website. This makes it more accessible for anti-vaxxers, even as public health experts warn about the consequences of lower vaccination rates. Previously, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) was required to track how many forms were distributed and report this to the legislature. The new bill eliminates this tracking requirement, meaning we lose critical data on how many kids are unvaccinated.

It’s worth noting how Wes Verdell (R-HD53) tried to argue that vaccines aren’t trustworthy because of personal anecdotal experiences (personally, I think he was lying). However, as John Bryant (R-HD114) pointed out, public health policy cannot be based on isolated incidents. The overwhelming scientific consensus is that vaccines save lives and have eradicated or controlled deadly diseases.

Republicans have decided that appeasing anti-vaxxers is worth more than protecting Texas kids. They are leveraging misinformation and fear to roll back public health protections, and it’s going to cost lives.

Who do Republicans really serve?

The Texas Legislature showed us exactly where their priorities lie. Not with protecting kids, not with upholding public safety, and certainly not with promoting justice or equality. Instead, they’re bending over backward to appease the most reactionary, conspiracy-obsessed factions of their base.

When Republicans vote to keep child marriages legal, legalize the emotional abuse of LGBTQ+ kids, and undermine vaccine safety during an active measles outbreak, it’s clear they’re not thinking about the well-being of Texas families. They’re thinking about appeasing extremists, about scoring points with anti-science activists, and about holding onto their power by any means necessary, even if it means putting lives at risk.

Our state deserves better than lawmakers who normalize child marriage, protect parental abuse, and sacrifice public health on the altar of partisan pandering. Texas families deserve leaders who stand up for safety, equality, and science, not ones who keep dragging us backward.

• June 2: The 89th Legislative Session ends.

• June 3: The beginning of the 2026 election season.

• Click here to find out what Legislative districts you’re in.

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