There may be no greater threat to the state of Texas than the men who occupy the governor's mansion.
States that refuse to comply with federal guidelines which say anti-transgender discrimination violates the Civil Rights Act run the risk of losing federal education funding. For most states and governors this is would be a disaster because their education system might collapse without federal funding. Higher and lower education have already been cut to the bone in many state budgets by Republican lawmakers.
Willingly giving up federal funding might be unthinkable for most governors, but that's exactly what Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick is thinking.
Patrick says the state will give up $10 billion(!) in federal funding if that's what it takes to discriminate against transgender children.
DALLAS (AP) Texas' lieutenant governor says the state is prepared to forfeit billions of dollars in federal funding for public schools following an Obama administration directive over bathroom access for transgender students.
Patrick says Texas receives roughly $10 billion in federal education dollars. He didn't say how that money might be replaced. Patrick's remarks came only moments after more than half the state's 1,200 school districts lost a major lawsuit claiming that Texas unconstitutionally underfunds public schools.
He didn't say how the state might replace $10 billion? No shit?
If the state's school systems believe they're being underfunded now, just wait until they lose $10 billion in federal funding all because grown-ass, conservative white men are terrified of transgender children.
Not that it matters, but we're talking an infinitesimal number of children. The best estimates available say only between 0.3 to 0.5 percent of the adult population in the U.S. is transgender. This small chance that a small number of schools in Texas may be home to a single transgender student terrifies the state government to such a degree they would float the idea of bankrupting the entire education system to stop it.
To be sure, Governor Greg Abbott himself also says he's ready to challenge the Civil Rights Act.
"I am working with the governor of North Carolina, and we are going to fight back," Abbott said during his speech at the Texas Republican Convention.
He lamented that "Obama is turning bathrooms into courtroom issues."
But... you filed the fucking lawsuit.
If you live in Texas, these men are the real threat to your children. They will squander every last penny fighting for this before they'll distribute another dime to your child's school.