Texas Republicans have introduced a bill in the state's legislature to ban Pride events in public schools. The measure came up for debate in the state House on March 28.

The bill prohibits public schools from organizing programs "dedicated to celebrating or providing special instruction regarding a sexual preference." Any district in violation of the ban could have its educators' teaching permits suspended or terminated, which would effectively shut down the schools. Individual school employees could face fines up to $10,000.

Republicans control both houses of the Texas legislature, with a 22-vote majority in the House and a 7-vote majority in the Senate.

A petition being circulated by the state's leading LGBTQ advocacy group, Equality Texas, calls the measure "a direct assault on school-based Pride celebrations or programs."

"Pride events in particular are important because they show LGBTQ kids that their identities are valid and worth celebrating," Equality Texas spokesperson Johnathan Gooch said.

"Having sexually oriented celebrations at school, for all grades, is teaching our kids a sexual ideology — no matter who's doing it," Rep. Kenneth King, the bill's sponsor, retorted.

"If Pride week is caught up in that, fine," he added. "But I didn't specify one group over another."

Texas's state government has been particularly hostile to Pride celebrations in the state's public schools. Last year, state Attorney General Ken Paxton scolded the Austin school district for hosting a Pride week.

"By hosting 'Pride week,' your district has, at best, undertaken a weeklong instructional effort in human sexuality without parental consent," he wrote in a March 2022 letter to the superintendent.

"Or worse, your district is cynically pushing a weeklong indoctrination of your students that not only fails to obtain parental consent but subtly cuts parents out of the loop. Either way, you are breaking state law."

Then-Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde responded days later with a statement reaffirming the district's commitment to supporting all students.

"Here at Austin ISD, we celebrate Pride during every school year, so our LGBTQIA+ students know how much they are valued and loved," she wrote.

"This year, it's important to me personally that they know they are respected and safe, too, and lest anyone have any doubt, that absolutely goes for our Trans kids."

In this legislative session alone, Texas Republicans have filed dozens of bills to roll back LGBTQ rights, including ones to prevent Transgender athletes from competing in college sports, barring gender-affirming medical care for minors, and placing onerous restrictions on drag shows.