Texas Gov. Abbott: Focus on Real Issues, Not Erasing LGBTQ Texans

As gay Texans, we've seen you threaten to withhold millions in road funding from cities unless they erase rainbow crosswalks. Dallas painted theirs in Oak Lawn with private donations in 2020, not taxpayer money. Houston memorializes a cyclist killed in a hit-and-run. San Antonio installed theirs in 2018 to honor the LGBTQ+ community. You gave cities 30 days to comply or lose state partnerships. Former Houston Mayor Annise Parker, one of the first openly LGBTQ mayors of a major American city, said she was surprised that erasing rainbow crosswalks has become your priority. She’s right. Texans care about jobs, healthcare, and safe schools. We don’t care about painted asphalt. But you’ve made it a crusade. You authorized 400 Texas National Guard members to deploy to Chicago and other cities at Trump’s request, sending public servants away from their families during peaceful protests. A federal judge blocked this, calling the claims unreliable and saying it would intensify unrest. Republican Governor Kevin Stitt criticized it, citing states’ rights. Meanwhile, Ken Paxton announced operations to infiltrate leftist terror cells, labeling transgender Texans and opponents as “a cancer.” This is McCarthyism. Right-wing terror attacks outnumber left-wing yearly from 1994 to 2024. Paxton is creating enemies to justify government overreach. What’s radical? Banning books, erasing communities, calling Texans terrorists for dissent. President Eisenhower sent troops to Little Rock in 1957 to protect Black students from discrimination; history judged that governor harshly. You’re repeating his mistakes. Texas needs leaders focusing on lowering taxes, fixing the power grid, funding schools. We need unity, not division. We need problem-solvers, not culture warriors chasing Trump’s approval. I demand you reverse the crosswalk order, bring our Guard home, and focus on issues that improve Texans’ lives. Stop wasting time and money on cruelty and rhetoric!