2,276 were here. The extremeness did not stop at the platform. The newly approved Texas GOP party platform broadly places the culture wars at its core, as the party adopted a slew of new platforms that shift the party further to the right on Saturday. And earlier this month, a Texas lawmaker announced that he would introduce novel legislation to ban minors from attending drag shows in the state. Delegates booed Republican Sen. John Cornyn -- who has held his seat for 20 years and got more 2020 votes statewide than Trump . Disclosure: Rice University and University of Houston have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. In 2015, Texas conservatives set their eyes on repealing the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO), which expanded civil rights Today, the start of Womens History Month, Mayday.Health is launching a multi-day education campaign centered around accessing abortion pills. of hateful text, heres a brief rundown of their 2022 platform: of widespread voter fraud, the Texas GOP is claiming Bidens win null. The platform plank does not specify which grades should get these lessons, except to say that high school students should read the Womans Right to Know booklet. The 2022 platform now calls homosexuality an abnormal lifestyle choice. The language is more emotive and forceful than in the past couple of years. The Texas Republican Party convention was really, um, something, wrote CNNs Chris Cilizza. Rejecting the LGBTQ+ community is nothing new for the Republican Party, but Texas recent streak of translating harmful rhetoric into law brings cause for worry. when he took the floor for even proposing it. They use outdated language and scientifically disproven ideas to alienate and monstrify transgender Texans. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images. The Republican Party of Texas released its 2022 platform today. by Brad Dress - 06/19/22 5:21 PM ET. Declaring all businesses and jobs as essential and a fundamental right, a response to COVID-19 mandates by Texas cities that required customers to wear masks and limited business hours. In 2014, it declared homosexuality a chosen behavior contrary to God and endorsed "reparative therapy" to reverse it. In the platform voted on by . Ricardo Martinez, the CEO of Equality Texas, a statewide LGBTQ advocacy group, called the platform "extreme, but not necessarily new. Paid for by the Republican Party of Texas and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. Texas secession. So are we, thats why were fighting back against the right-wing lie machine. They even go so far as to refer to Biden as acting president, with some delegates subscribing to the Qanon theory that Trump will be re-installed as president , has gotten out of control amongst the Republican Party. The platform plank also states that students should witness a live ultrasound and watch a Miracle of Life type video. The 1982 film documents the human reproductive process from conception to birth. by Kennedy Sessions | Jun 20, 2022 | News, Republican Party. The Democratic Party are now a party of chaos. Enter your email address * Resources. ", The Texas Republican Party blocked the Log Cabin Republicans, a longstanding group of gay conservatives which also supports many of the partys anti-LGBTQ policies from having a booth at Saturday's convention. Elected officials are not bound to adhere to their parties platforms. Thousands of Republican activists met at the party's biennial convention in Houston on Saturday to agree to the party's platform on a range of issues, including the rejection of the 2020. But the moves made in Texas to throw up obstacles to easy voting are apparently not enough. Abolishing the Federal Reserve, the nations central bank, and guaranteeing the right to use alternatives to cash, including cryptocurrencies. At a convention where several of its more prominent lawmakers were harassed and booed, the Texas Republican Party has passed the latest version of its official platform and it makes for shocking reading. A political party platform (US English), party program, or party manifesto (preferential term in British & often Commonwealth English) is a formal set of principal goals which are supported by a political party or individual candidate, in order to appeal to the general public, for the ultimate purpose of garnering the general public's support and votes about complicated topics or issues. Our Republican-led state legislature has done nothing but tear Texas to shreds in the last two years and the federal government has done little to help. That is, they dont want Texans to have any. Find a complete list of them here. The 2022 platform adopted all planks presented in the Committee Report at the statewide convention, plus 2 planks presented on the floor of the convention. Heres proof: They want NO gun free zones, unrestricted Constitutional Carry, and entirely, reform agreement thats going through Congress as we speak. 2. Kennedy is a passionate reporter, avid reader, coffee enthusiast, and loves to travel. The Texas Republican Party convention starts Thursday. June 20, 2022. The Texas GOP got way out of hand with this years stance on voting rights. Back then, speakers would describe it as the largest gathering of its kind in a free country, or some such boast. Imagine the mess it would create if Texas was limited to holiday shopping over three days in December, with no online options available - many people would just skip it. Under Texas law, parents currently must provide written consent for their children to attend sex education classes, which are required to emphasize abstinence. c. Support repeal of the 16th Amendment (Federal Income Tax). The Texas GOP argues in their platform that hate crime laws should be repealed because there are already plenty of other laws covering crimes against other persons on the books. The Texas state Republican Party's 2022 platform is not only hideously anti-LGBTQ, it also calls for the state to hold a referendum in 2023 on a possible secession from the United States. Education is about reading, writing, math, science, history and fine arts. Could they do it? Meanwhile, the party platform vote on Saturday by roughly 5,100 convention delegates would argue that those under 21 are most likely to need to defend themselves and may need to quickly buy guns in emergencies such as riots. It also would say that red flag laws violate the due process rights of people who havent been convicted of a crime. Follow. Its like they havent been on the same plane of reality as the rest of us. The Log Cabin Republicans, a group that backs LGBTQ rights, had been banned from placing a booth in the convention hall. A Federal Judge in Amarillo Could Effectively Ban the Abortion Pill. The hall at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston filled with boos on Friday as he tried to explain the legislation, which would allow juvenile records to be incorporated into background checks for gun buyers younger than 21 and encourage red flag laws that would make it easier to remove guns from potentially dangerous people, along with more funding for school safety and mental health. Have fun, kids! U.S. Rep. Tony . 233. Greg Abbott's anti-refugee policies on November 22, 2015 in Austin, Texas. Its like they havent been on the same plane of reality as the rest of us. His success has inspired the party to shift farther right. They want in-person voting condensed to three days, with no gap between the first day of Early Voting and Election Day. Jos R. Ralat is Texas Monthlys taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food. As the convention opened Thursday, party chairman Matt Rinaldi predicted the GOP would make gains in the fall. But the recent proposals seem to reflect Texas Republicans' views on the 2020 election. Tags: Texas . shift the party further to the right on Saturday. Protesters swarmed Crenshaw and his entourage, peppering him with questions about his globalist ties and calling him eyepatch McCain. (Crenshaw is a former Navy SEAL who lost an eye in Afghanistan, and the reference to the late U.S. senator John McCain of Arizona was intended, and heard, as an insult in a party whose members now share Trumps disdain for the late war hero.) The idea, however, refuses to go away, and this years platform indicates that the anti-federalist bent of the Texas party remains strong: Pursuant to Article 1, Section 1, of the Texas Constitution, the federal government has impaired our right of local self-government. Do you value our journalism? And even the partys pragmatic center right conservatives lack the ability to argue, as they did successfully in 2020, that an ultra conservative platform could cost the GOP its majority status in the Lone Star State. Bylaws; . But it would be tough for even the most ideological legislators to adopt the planks wholesale: they are always a jumble of often-contradictory messages. Elsewhere, the GOP platform also added that Texas students should learn about the dignity of the preborn human and that life begins at fertilization. Nevertheless, the platform corresponds with the partys constant policy attacks against the LGBTQ community, including Texas Gov. Critics say such policies would be harmful and discriminatory. And You Thought Feral Hogs Were Bad. What is even more infuriating is the unwillingness of our party leaders, including Chairman Matt Rinaldi, to even look us in the eye and seek understanding of our values and principles.. David Faris. So are we, thats why were fighting back against the right-wing lie machine. The display at the Texas Alliance for Life booth illustrates the development of a fetus during the Texas State Republican Convention at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston on Friday. Sign Up for Updates. A Navy SEAL veteran, Crenshaw lost his right eye to a bomb in Afghanistan. Fleeing for Your Life? In this case, they saw it worked for Trump so they think itll work for them., It shows you how much QAnon may not be an outlier in the Republican Party. And Texas Republicans wont stop there. Show us with your support. About 9,600 delegates and alternates were eligible to attend; organizers said turnout was a bit more than half that. The group included self-identified Proud Boys and Alex Stein, a social media activist from North Texas. Advocates have beenurging public officialsagainst using the charged rhetoric, warning that it could cause violence directed at LGBTQ Americans. The party planks specify what the Texas GOP believes students should and should not be taught in the classroom about gender and sex, signaling further shifts to the right. In recent months, conservative lawmakers, television pundits and other public figures have accused opponents of anewly enacted Florida education legislation which critics have dubbed the Dont Say Gay law of trying togroom or indoctrinate children. The platform process begins at the precinct level where grassroots delegates introduce resolutions and planks which are passed to the Senate or County District Convention. Sen. John Cornyn addressing the Texas Republican Convention in Houston, Texas, June 17, 2022. So at the last minute, a posse of elected officials took to the floor to tell delegates they had mistakenly endorsed Obamacare for the internet. The offending passage was quickly stripped out. ), The platform, meanwhile, always contains ludicrously extreme planks and is mostly irrelevant when it comes to actually passing bills. Pickren, a Republican, is running for the State Board of Education District that represents Southeast Texas. As a nonprofit newsroom, we rely on members to help keep our stories free and our events open to the public. Until this prohibition goes into effect, sexual education shall only utilize sexual risk avoidance programs and promote abstinence outside of marriage. Do you value our journalism? Even worse, they urge the Voting Rights Act of 1965, codified and updated in 1973, be repealed and not reauthorized. Its disappearance would make their attempts as voter disenfranchisement all the easier. All of this in the middle of Pride Month. Governor Greg Abbott, the state partys highest elected official, seemed so afraid of getting the Cornyn treatment that he declined to address the convention at allinstead appearing only at an opening reception where he sought to soften those annoyed by his presence by picking up the tab for beer and snacks. Heres proof: They want NO gun free zones, unrestricted Constitutional Carry, and entirely reject the bipartisan gun reform agreement thats going through Congress as we speak. Paid for by the Republican Party of Texas and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. How Florence ButtNot Her SonLaunched the H-E-B Empire, Jimmy Carters Peanut-and-Egg Taco Made Quite the Impression on San Antonians, The Top 50 Texas BBQ Joints: 2021 Edition. The Texas GOP's stance on same-sex marriage aligns with the national party. Despite over two years in office, a 51.3% to 46.8% win, and no evidence of widespread voter fraud, the Texas GOP is claiming Bidens win null. Texas lawmakers have not enacted anti-LGBTQ legislation into law this year but have pushed headline-generating anti-LGBTQ policies in other ways. Thank you for subscribing - we will be in touch soon! (1) "The laws of nature and nature's God," and we support the strict adherence to the original Support term limits of twelve years for federal and state offices.