Texas AG Ken Paxton presses Dallas ISD over alleged trans athlete law violations
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has formally requested to question officials with the Dallas Independent School District as part of an investigation into whether the district is violating state law by allowing transgender teen athletes to compete in girls' sports — and possibly encouraging students to change their birth certificates to do so.
In February Paxton requested an extensive list of documents from both DISD and Irving ISD after district officials were allegedly filmed, separately, telling parents that trans students could play in women's sports if the parents changed their birth certificates to "female."
The AG's office argues that DISD's LGBT Youth Program Coordinator Mahoganie Gaston was filmed telling a parent that a trans student would be allowed to participate in girls' sports if the parent changed the birth certificate of their son to "female." The office also alleges she said that the district "find[s] the loopholes in everything" and that she is willing to go to jail for defying Texas law.
Irving ISD's Executive Director of Campus Operations Reny Lizardo was filmed informing a parent that a trans student could play in women's sports if the parents changed the student's birth certificate to "female," the AG's office claims.
Paxton deposed Dallas ISD Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde, LGBT Youth Program Coordinator Mahoganie Gaston and the members of the Board of Trustees.
"School districts must follow the law, keep our children safe, and end these insane 'gender theory' policies that ignore reality and encourage illegal actions. ISD officials who have participated in this madness will be held accountable," Paxton said. "The systematic effort by Dallas ISD officials to circumvent Texas law will be exposed and stopped."
Dallas ISD released the following statement to CBS News Texas:
"The district is aware that the Attorney General has filed a pre-suit request for depositions of certain district officials. We are cooperating with the Attorney General's office to provide information that confirms Dallas ISD's ongoing compliance with federal and state laws. The district is committed to continue following both the spirit and intent of the law."
Paxton has also demanded documents from Hutto and Richardson ISDs for allegedly violating state law by allowing trans athletes to participate in girls' sports.
Texas law bans trans athletes from teams aligned with gender identities
In October 2021, Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill into law that banned trans women and girls in K-12 schools from participating in sports teams aligned with their gender identities. It forces athletes to compete on teams on the basis of their "biological sex," or the sex that was "correctly stated" on their birth certificate, according to the text of the legislation.
He signed the Save Women's Sports Act into law in June 2023 which bans trans athletes from participating in collegiate sports teams that match their gender identities.
The bill included provisions that prevent trans athletes who have had their sex changed on their birth certificates from participating in sports teams aligned with their gender identities by defining sex as what was "entered on or near the time of the student's birth," and only recognizes changes made to birth certificates that were done to correct a clerical error.
