Tag: Texas

Texas AG Paxton ‘opinion’ claims courts lack authority to order gender marker changes, tells state agencies to ‘immediately correct’ any such changes

*This is being reported by the Dallas Voice. A response by the Texas House LGBTQ Caucus is here.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton ramped up his war on transgender Texans yet another notch today (Friday, March 14), issuing a “legal opinion” declaring that state district courts do not have the judicial authority to order governmental agencies to change the gender markers on a trans person’s government-issued identification documents to reflect their actual gender identity rather than their gender assigned at birth.

Paxton also instructed state agencies to “immediately correct any unlawfully altered driver’s licenses or birth certificates that were changed pursuant to such orders.”

But the AG’s “opinions” are not legally binding on the courts, and Lambda Legal’s South Central Regional Director Shelly Skeen noted that her organization, as well as the ACLU, already have legal challenges in the works.

Paxton’s “opinion” was issued in response to a request made last September by the Texas Department of Public safety, the state agency which issues driver’s licenses in this state. A summary of the “opinion” reads:

“The ‘judicial power’ endowed to district courts does not countenance ex parte orders directing state agencies to amend a person’s biological sex on driver’s licenses or birth certificates. The underlying proceedings are coram non judice, and the resulting orders are void. State agencies must immediately correct any unlawfully altered driver’s licenses or birth certificates that were changed pursuant to such orders.”

(Ex parte means “on one side only; by or for one party.” Coram non judice means “not before a judge,” or “before one not a judge.”)

What Paxton is saying, Skeen explained, is that courts have been issuing orders directing state agencies to change gender markers on official documents such as birth certificates and driver’s licenses “without the agency being a part of the case.”

But, she added, “Courts have the authority to issue court orders based on what they find given the facts in any given case. The state doesn’t need to be party to that case.”

Skeen continued, “A court order is part of what the judiciary gets to do — interpret the law. The legislature makes the law, and the executive branch [of which Paxton is a part in Texas] is supposed to enforce the law. When a court issues an order, that order [applies to] the executive branch, and that order is entitled to full faith and credit under the U.S. Constitution.”

That means, basically, that Texas is required to honor court orders issued in other states, with a very few exceptions.

“We know the attorney general’s opinion is non-binding. But we also know state agencies will try to comply with it. Nevertheless, his opinion — in my opinion — is wrong. He is choosing to issue a non-binding opinion that is contrary to many legal doctrines, including separation of powers.” Shelly Skeen, Lambda Legal South Central Region director

“We know the attorney general’s opinion is non-binding. But we also know state agencies will try to comply with it,” Skeen said. “Nevertheless, his opinion — in my opinion — is wrong. He is choosing to issue a nonbinding opinion that is contrary to many legal doctrines, including separation of powers.”

Ash Hall, policy and advocacy strategist on LGBTQIA+ rights for the ACLU of Texas, said in a written statement, “We condemn Ken Paxton’s misuse of his office to repeatedly target transgender Texans. Attorney general opinions are non-binding and cannot supersede court orders. State agencies have no authority to retroactively change anyone’s valid legal documents.

“If state agencies attempt to implement this non-binding opinion, it would be an unlawful waste of resources that will not hold up in court nor stand the test of time,” Hall said. “We should all have identity documents that match who we are as a matter of basic safety and Paxton cannot erase transgender Texans’ right to exist.”

“We condemn Ken Paxton’s misuse of his office to repeatedly target transgender Texans … State agencies have no authority to retroactively change anyone’s valid legal documents.” Ash Hall, policy and advocacy strategist on LGBTQIA+ rights for the ACLU of Texas

An ACLU of Texas spokesperson added that there “not much more we can comment on beyond that yet since we don’t know how they plan to enforce this.”

Skeen said that anyone who finds their government-issued IDs have been or are being changed should contact the Lambda Legal Help Desk or the ACLU of Texas as soon as possible. She also stressed that legal challenges are already moving through the courts, including Fowler et al v. Stitt et al which is currently pending before the U.S Supreme Court.

According to the website, Lambda Legal filed that lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma on behalf of three transgender people born in Oklahoma — Rowan Fowler, Allister Hall and one plaintiff identified by his initials C.R.  — after Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt issued an executive order in late 2021 that other state officials have invoked in denying transgender people’s applications to correct their birth certificates. That order is a reversal of prior policy, which had permitted such corrections for years, the lawsuit says, arguing that the government’s actions violate equal protection, privacy and liberty under the Equal Protection and Due Process Clauses of the U.S. Constitution and that forcing transgender people through their birth certificates to identify with a sex that conflicts with who they are violates their free speech rights under the First Amendment.

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Student group challenges Texas A&M drag ban

*This was reported by The Hill.

A group of students is suing the Texas A&M University System after a vote last week banned all drag performances from taking place on its 11 campuses. 

The resolution and subsequent lawsuit, filed Wednesday in the Southern District of Texas, are the latest developments in a yearslong battle within one of the nation’s largest university systems over on-campus drag performances. 

Texas A&M’s Board of Regents voted almost unanimously late last month in favor of a resolution that states drag events are inconsistent with the system’s “mission and core values, including the value of respect for others.” 

The resolution says drag shows are “likely to create or contribute to a hostile environment for women” in violation of university anti-discrimination policies and Title IX, the federal civil rights law against sex discrimination. “These events often involve unwelcome and objectively offensive conduct based on sex for many members of the respective communities of the universities, particularly when they involve the mockery or objectification of women,” the resolution says. 

The document directs the system’s chancellor and the president of each university to prohibit drag shows from taking place on campus, citing an executive order from President Trump that proclaims the government recognizes only two sexes, male and female, and broadly prevents federal funds from being used to promote what Trump and his administration have called “gender ideology.” 

The resolution also acknowledges a Jan. 30 letter from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) commanding state agencies to implement Trump’s order. 

“Given that both the System and the Universities receive significant federal funding, the use of facilities at the Universities for Drag Show Events may be considered promotion of gender ideology in violation of the Executive Order and the Governor’s directive,” the resolution says. 

A federal lawsuit filed Wednesday by students at Texas A&M University, the system’s flagship institution, argues the resolution violates their First Amendment rights and the Texas Open Meetings Act, which requires governmental bodies to post a meeting’s location and agenda at least 72 hours in advance. 

The resolution’s adoption means “Draggieland,” an annual drag competition at A&M, will need to find a new host. The event scheduled for March 27 had been set to take place at the school’s Rudder Theater. 

“We refuse to let Texas A&M dictate which voices belong on campus,” the students, known collectively as the Queer Empowerment Council, said in a statement. “Drag is self-expression, drag is discovery, drag is empowerment, and no amount of censorship will silence us.” 

A spokesperson said the A&M University System had received the lawsuit and was in the process of reviewing it.

“Public universities can’t shut down student expression simply because the administration doesn’t like the ‘ideology’ or finds the expression ‘demeaning,’” said Adam Steinbaugh, an attorney at the nonprofit Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), which is representing the Queer Empowerment Council in court. 

The organization also represented students at West Texas A&M University in a 2023 lawsuit over the university president’s decision to cancel a charity drag show on campus. West Texas A&M University President Walter Wendler argued drag performances degrade women and compared them to blackface. 

“If other students dislike or disagree with Draggieland, the solution is simple: don’t go,” said Jeff Zeman, another FIRE attorney. “Or they could organize a protest, as students opposing drag have in the past. The First Amendment protects drag and the ability to criticize drag — and it forbids the government silencing the side it disagrees with.” 

A Texas state law against drag performances was ruled unconstitutional in 2023. U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Texas David Hittner, a former President Reagan appointee, ruled that drag is expressive conduct protected by the First Amendment.

Last week, the Supreme Court turned away a case challenging similar restrictions on drag in Tennessee, leaving that law partially intact.

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Texas House Representative Attempts to Criminalize Being Transgender

Not to be outdone by Rep. Money, who earlier filed an attempted ban on gender transition, Texas State House Representative Tom Oliverson (R-Cypress) filed House Bill 3817 on March 5 that would make simply being transgender a state felony. Below is the entirety of the bill text:

Oliverson is the Vice Chair of the House Republican Caucus. He had previously filed a bill in January to establish a “Religious Freedom Commission”.

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Texas A&M System bans drag shows from its universities

*This was reported by The Texas Tribune.

The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents on Friday passed a resolution banning all drag performances from taking place on its 11 university campuses.

This means that Draggieland, a beloved annual event scheduled for March 27 at the Rudder Theatre on the College Station campus, will have to find a new venue. Students have also held drag shows at Texas A&M University Corpus Christi and East Texas A&M University.

The move potentially sets up another First Amendment fight between students and university administrators.

The resolution says the board recognizes the need for universities to foster a sense of community and belonging among students but adds that drag shows are “inconsistent with [the system’s] mission and core values, including the value of respect for others.”

The resolution also says drag shows are “likely to create or contribute to a hostile environment for women,” contrary to university and federal anti discrimination policies.

“These events often involve unwelcome and objectively offensive conduct based on sex for many members of the respective communities of the universities, particularly when they involve the mockery or objectification of women,” the resolution says.

The resolution says having on-campus drag shows may be seen as promoting gender ideology and that both President Donald J. Trump and Gov. Greg Abbott have said federal and state funds may not be used for that purpose. It directs the system’s chancellor and the president of each institution to implement the policy, including canceling any upcoming drag shows.

The vote was unanimous. Regent Mike Hernandez III was absent.

The Queer Empowerment Council, a student group that hosts Draggieland and other LGBTQ+ events at Texas A&M University, said in a statement Friday evening that it was “profoundly disheartened” by the decision.

“The power of drag as a medium of art is undeniable, serving as a platform for self-discovery, inclusivity, and celebration of diversity. QEC firmly believes that the Board of Regents’ decision undermines these values, which are vital to fostering a supportive and inclusive environment for all students,” the council said.

It is exploring whether it can hold Draggieland on the same or a different date at a different venue.

“We are committed to ensuring that our voices are heard, and that Draggieland will go on, no matter the obstacles we face,” the group said.

In 2023, West Texas A&M University President Walter Wendler canceled an on-campus drag show, similarly arguing such performances degrade women.

The students said his comments were off base and sued him for violating their First Amendment rights as well as a state law that prohibits universities from barring student organizations from using their facilities on the basis of the political, religious, philosophical, ideological or academic viewpoints the organizations express. The court has allowed Wendler’s cancellation to stand while it makes a decision.

“They are imposing a restraint on an entire category of protected speech under the First Amendment and in no public college campus should that ever occur per our Constitution,” said JT Morris, senior attorney at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, of the regent’s decision Friday. Morris is representing the students in the West Texas A&M case.

Civil rights groups also condemned the resolution. Ash Hall, policy and advocacy strategist for LGBTQIA+ rights at the ACLU of Texas, said the West Texas A&M lawsuit plus one her organization spearheaded and ultimately blocked a statewide ban on drag shows “makes this kind of absurd.”

“To do this now, while that’s already happening, is a waste of time and resources and makes it seem like the Board of Regents is more focused on culture wars than educating their students,” they said.

Sofia Sepulveda, field director for Equality Texas, noted that not all drag is performed by men.

“Women performers also delight in a chance to poke fun at stereotypes that have held women back for generations,” she said.

She also criticized the gender disparities among the flagship’s faculty.

“If A&M is worried about creating a hostile environment for women, then why don’t they hire more women?” Sepulveda said. “Right now, only 40% of the faculty at Texas A&M are women, 60% are men. That’s a serious issue.”

Draggieland organizers have said the event is an important outlet for the LGBTQ+ community at a time when it has come under attack from conservative policymakers in Texas and across the nation.

Students raised funds to keep the show going when the university stopped sponsoring it in 2022. In the years since, they’ve seen LGBTQ+ representation and resources on campus diminish.

Last year, Texas A&M University cut an LGBTQ+ studies minor and stopped offering gender-affirming care at the Beutel Student Health Center. In a statement Friday afternoon, the university said it had begun coordinating with the division of student affairs to notify student organizations about the board’s decision.

Regents were also expected to discuss Friday who should be the system’s next leader after Chancellor John Sharp retires this year. Regents met in Houston earlier this week to interview candidates. They did not make a decision on a finalist Friday.

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Texas Freshman House Rep Files Bill to Ban Gender Transitioning for Adults

First year freshman Texas state house representative Brent Money (R-Greenville) filed House Bill 3399 on Wednesday which would ultimately ban all gender transitioning procedures in the state of Texas, regardless of age of the patient.

The section of the bill that would prohibit doctors from providing this care to adults is written in this section:

Sec. 161.702. PROHIBITED PROVISION OF GENDER TRANSITIONING
OR GENDER REASSIGNMENT PROCEDURES AND TREATMENTS [TO CERTAIN
CHILDREN]. For the purpose of transitioning a person’s [child’s]
biological sex as determined by the sex organs, chromosomes, and
endogenous profiles of the person [child] or affirming the person’s
[child’s] perception of the person’s [child’s] sex if that
perception is inconsistent with the person’s [child’s] biological
sex, a physician or health care provider may not knowingly:
(1) perform a surgery that sterilizes the person
[child], including:
(A) castration;
(B) vasectomy;
(C) hysterectomy;
(D) oophorectomy;
(E) metoidioplasty;
(F) orchiectomy;
(G) penectomy;
(H) phalloplasty; and
(I) vaginoplasty;
(2) perform a mastectomy;
(3) provide, prescribe, administer, or dispense any of
the following prescription drugs that induce transient or permanent
infertility:
(A) puberty suppression or blocking prescription
drugs to stop or delay normal puberty;
(B) supraphysiologic doses of testosterone to
females; or
(C) supraphysiologic doses of estrogen to males;
or
(4) remove any otherwise healthy or non-diseased body
part or tissue.

Did you think this was all about protecting the children? Of course not. They are coming for you, regardless of whether you are a grown adult or not.

The one glimmer of hope in this situation is that bills filed by freshman state reps in Texas typically do not making anywhere close to the floor for a vote. It would be a rare case if it did, and at this time there are also no co-authors to the bill. This meant he’s out on a limb on his own with this legislation. It may be a red meat attention getter for his constituents and the GOP at large.

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Republicans in 9 states are pushing measures to end same-sex marriage rights

*This was published by LGBTNation.com

Nine states are now seeing Republican efforts to overturn Obergefell v. Hodges, the 2015 Supreme Court decision that legalized marriage equality in all 50 states. This is a new trend; state Republican lawmakers have been focused on rolling back trans rights since 2020.

In five of the states — Idaho, Michigan, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota — Republican lawmakers have introduced resolutions calling for the Supreme Court to overturn Obergefell. Those measures have been passed by at least one chamber of the state legislature in Idaho and North Dakota.

In the four other states – Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas – Republican legislators have introduced bills to privilege heterosexual marriages, with some of the states referring to a new institution called “covenant marriage,” which would be limited to heterosexual couples. The point there, according to the sponsor of one such bill in Oklahoma, is to create inequality in marriage rights between opposite- and same-sex couples and invite a legal challenge that could be taken to the Supreme Court to overturn Obergefell.

Two justices on the Supreme Court have openly stated that they want to overturn Obergefell, and the Court has moved to the right since 2015. Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Anthony Kennedy, and Stephen Breyer were all in the Obergefell majority but have either retired or passed away in the last ten years. Only one was replaced by a Democratic president. It is not clear if there are the five votes needed to protect marriage equality on the Court if it were to take up a test case.

Thirty-five states have amendments or statutes banning same-sex marriage, and most would likely go into effect if the Supreme Court were to overturn Obergefell. Because of the 2022 federal Respect for Marriage Act, though, state and federal governments would have to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states.

“It’s good to anticipate things that could happen in order that we do our best job preparing ourselves,” Jenny Pizer, chief legal officer of Lambda Legal, told LGBTQ Nation last month. “The bottom line for people is that, if there are things that you can do to secure your relationships, your family status and to take other protective measures, please do those things. Don’t be lulled into complacency by our informed and reasonably expert speculation about what may happen.”

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North Texas’s First LGBTQIA+ Affordable Senior Housing Development Completed

*This was first published for The Architect’s Newspaper

The U.S. has always been a difficult country to “age in place”—seniors who can’t find lodging with a loved one are often relegated to nursing homes, if they can afford the fees. The situation gets even more precarious for LGBTQIA+ seniors, who commonly see bias in the rental application process, and get turned down for apartments at high rates.

Things are especially dire in Texas, where state law doesn’t protect individuals from housing discrimination based on their sexual orientation, although LGBTQIA+ individuals are still protected under the federal Fair Housing Act. This exacerbates the problem and puts even more people at risk of poverty and social isolation.

Perkins&Will’s Dallas studio recently completed a new affordable housing project to help combat this public health crisis. Today, Oak Lawn Place in Dallas represents north Texas’s first affordable housing development of its kind, the architects shared. It offers 100 percent affordable housing for LGBTQIA+ seniors, 55 years of age and older.

Karen Chen of Sunshine Studios created a bespoke mural on every floor of the building. (James Steinkamp)

The Dallas neighborhood of Oak Lawn has been the beating heart of north Texas’s LGBTQIA+ community for decades. Oak Lawn Place was built with the developer Matthews Southwest, Volunteers of America, and Resource Center, one of the largest LGBTQIA+ community centers in the country and a key north Texas HIV/AIDS service organization.

“I’m seeing Oak Lawn Place transform people’s lives,” Resource Center CEO Cece Cox said in a press statement. “A project like this elevates everyone and makes Dallas a better place.”

In plan, Oak Lawn Place is shaped like a C. This was meant to increase natural light exposure within every unit; this feature also provides a protective wing that surrounds an outdoor deck, hidden from public view. The deck has great views of the site’s sloping topography and a nearby creek.

Mural by Karen Chen of Sunshine Studios (James Steinkamp)

Karen Chen of Sunshine Studios created a bespoke mural on every floor of the building, which helps with wayfinding. Oak Lawn Place was designed with maximum accessibility in mind—everything from the hallway seatings, elevator lobbies, to wheelchair-friendly doorways are meant to provide a positive user experience.

The design of Oak Lawn Place is economical and efficient, yet still manages to have splashes of color here and there; the facade has a rainbow flag to signify all are welcome. The 80,000-square-foot building has a total 84 units. It’s within walking distance of public transit options and Resource Center’s Community Center.

The building has a shared kitchen and other community-building amenities. (James Steinkamp)

“Oak Lawn Place helps make Dallas a more inclusive, inviting city—for those considering moving here and for those wondering, as a queer person, ‘Will I truly feel welcome? Are there spaces in Dallas for me?’ We are honored and proud to bring this project to life,’” Cox continued.

A new healthcare facility, Resource Center Health, will open across the street from Oak Lawn Place later this year.

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A Texas town disbanded its diversity committee following a protest march by the Proud Boys

This blog originally appeared at LGBTQ NATION.

But was the diversity committee merely a façade from the start?

When the municipal government of Frisco, Texas, issued its first-ever Pride declaration in June 2022, the moment garnered attention for an unexpected reason: it attracted the Proud Boys.

The far-right extremist group, known for its violent opposition to LGBTQ+ expression—particularly drag shows and Pride events—targeted the occasion. In Frisco, members of the Proud Boys harassed a prominent organizer, following him and other supporters to a celebratory gathering at a local restaurant after the proclamation.

Justin Culpepper, 36, co-founder of the nonprofit Pride Frisco alongside his spouse, recounted that the Proud Boys had threatened to physically assault him. “I went into the restaurant, and the people who worked there protected me,” he recalled.

Jon Culpepper, 45, described the event as “traumatic,” but Justin Culpepper has been reluctant to discuss it with the media, fearing that it would give undue attention to the extremists. Instead, Justin reserved most of his criticism for the lack of response from the police and city government. He told LGBTQ Nation, “When you bring these concerns to the city council and the police chief, the reaction is to erase LGBTQ people or minimize our existence to avoid provoking the Proud Boys, rather than asking, ‘Why the f**k do we have Proud Boys in our city, and what are we doing about it?’”

He continued, “Why hasn’t the mayor or city council denounced these people or their actions? Even if they don’t, why not elevate positive things, like a Pride proclamation?”

In contrast to other communities that have responded to far-right group incursions with condemnation and displays of unity, Frisco has taken a different path. Since the incident, not only has the city government refused to officially acknowledge Pride again, but they have also dismantled much of their previous diversity initiative. According to the Culpeppers, the city only supported them when it was politically convenient. Now, under pressure from Texas Republicans and following a broader national trend, Frisco’s leaders appear to be sweeping the LGBTQ+ community under the rug.

“When it comes to LGBTQ people, Frisco politicians act like we have cooties,” Justin remarked. “They don’t want to be seen with us in public or be on record supporting our positions, out of fear it’ll be used against them.”

Part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, Frisco has grown to over 200,000 residents, often ranking as one of the fastest-growing cities in the U.S. Pride Frisco, which hosted its first annual Pride event in 2022, has garnered around 5,000 supporters from the region, reflecting the area’s increasing diversity. The Culpeppers moved to Frisco in 2018 and founded Pride Frisco three years later. In addition to their LGBTQ+ advocacy, the couple runs a real estate brokerage and property management business. Jon is a licensed real estate broker and co-owner of an IT software consulting firm.

The Culpeppers explained that Pride Frisco offers crucial support to LGBTQ+ individuals who may not have easy access to Dallas’s urban core. Since its inception, the organization has focused on providing regular events that go beyond the annual Pride celebration, including gender marker and name change clinics for transgender residents. Their long-term goal is to persuade Frisco to help establish a physical LGBTQ+ resource center.

“We look at the unmet needs of the community,” Justin said, emphasizing the importance of education for those new to LGBTQ+ life. “The fundamental thing you need is good information, because that empowers decision-makers.”

Despite Pride Frisco’s rapid growth, official recognition from Frisco’s government has been inconsistent, and at times, even misleading.

In 2020, Mayor Jeff Cheney launched the Mayor’s Inclusion Committee, eventually inviting Justin to join. Like many cities eager to show their commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) after nationwide civil rights protests, Frisco’s initial enthusiasm was short-lived. The Inclusion Committee was soon plagued by internal disputes, and when Justin suggested supporting DEI initiatives in Frisco’s public schools, he was told to “keep the chat focused on Frisco Inclusion work.”

According to Jon, the committee lacked real power and was merely a tool for the city to display its commitment to diversity when convenient. For instance, the Inclusion Committee was listed in the region’s successful 2022 bid to host FIFA Soccer for the 2026 World Cup.

“They used the committee to show they were working on diversity,” Jon said, “but now they’re quietly trying to get rid of it.”

By 2023, the city’s token support for diversity, including the Pride proclamation, was fading, especially as DEI initiatives faced mounting pressure from Texas Republicans. When Pride Frisco applied for another proclamation in 2023, the city cited a new rule preventing repeat proclamations within the same year. In 2024, procedural excuses were used again to deny the proclamation, even though the city continues to recognize events like Bicycle Month and Garden Week annually.

A public information request revealed the Inclusion Committee had no formal meeting minutes or complete list of members, leading many to believe the committee was never officially recognized by the Frisco City Council. It existed only as a façade, disappearing after the Proud Boys march in the city.

“We’ve seen this across the country,” said Callie Butcher, a Dallas-based attorney involved in LGBTQ+ rights cases. “There’s a political movement against diversity, equity, and inclusion, often targeting equity.”

This trend extends beyond Texas. Other cities, like Rowlett, have faced similar battles over DEI commissions, and the issue has become part of a larger national attack on DEI efforts, led by Republican lawmakers. Texas recently passed S.B. 17, banning DEI offices at state-run universities, echoing similar legislation in states like Florida and North Carolina.

Sarah Kate Ellis, CEO and President of GLAAD, highlighted the damaging impact of such efforts. “Instead of erasing our efforts, they should be uplifted,” she said. “Frisco is not only erasing DEI initiatives but ignoring the contributions of local LGBTQ organizers.”

While Texas’ new law doesn’t directly affect city-run DEI committees, it has created an environment where city governments feel pressured to distance themselves from anything resembling DEI.

In May 2023, Frisco City Council replaced the Inclusion Committee with a new Frisco Multicultural Committee, under the arts department. The proclamation for this new committee made no mention of the LGBTQ+ community, raising further concerns.

Despite this, Pride Frisco remains committed to advocating for an LGBTQ+ community center and is preparing for the next Pride festival at Frisco’s Toyota Stadium on October 6.

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The megachurch led by a pastor closely associated with Trump settles a case involving allegations of covering up sex abuse.

This blog originally appeared at LGBTQ NEWS.

The church reportedly delayed a police investigation and then harassed a member after her child was sexually assaulted.

Gateway Church, an evangelical megachurch located in Southlake, Texas, has reached a legal settlement concerning allegations that five church pastors and a youth leader covered up a child sexual assault perpetrated by another church member. The pastors reportedly failed to report the assault to law enforcement or the child’s mother, delayed investigating the incident, and subjected both the victim and her mother — devoted church members — to punitive measures.

This settlement follows the recent resignation of Robert Morris, the church’s founder and a former member of Donald Trump’s evangelical executive advisory board. Morris stepped down shortly after publicly acknowledging that he had molested a 12-year-old girl during his tenure as a 20-year-old pastor.

In August 2020, an unnamed mother filed a recently settled lawsuit on behalf of her daughter. According to The Christian Post, both frequently attended worship services, church-sponsored functions, and participated in various ministries. The alleged sexual assault by an unnamed church member took place around March 14, 2018, at the member’s residence.

The recently settled lawsuit, filed in August 2020 by an unnamed mother on behalf of her daughter, detailed concerning allegations involving Church youth leader Logan Edwards. Edwards reportedly learned of the assault from conversations with the alleged assaulter and two other young church members, as stated in the lawsuit. Despite this knowledge, five church pastors — Kelly Jones, Rebecca Wilson, Samantha Golden, Mondo Davis, and Sion Alford — allegedly took no legal action. They reportedly spoke multiple times with the accused member and their parents but did not file a formal complaint with child protective or law enforcement agencies, nor did they inform the victim’s mother about the alleged assault.

“When the mother discovered the assault, she reported it to the Haltom City Police Department,” the lawsuit stated. Subsequently, the pastors allegedly engaged in efforts to conceal, distort, and discredit the assault accusations during the police investigation. This purported concealment, according to the lawsuit, allowed significant evidence of the alleged criminal assault to degrade, hampering law enforcement’s ability to conduct an accurate investigation.

Additionally, church leaders purportedly encouraged Gateway members to ostracize the minor’s mother and removed her from ministries where she had served diligently. As a result, the mother and daughter reportedly experienced profound shame, embarrassment, and emotional distress.

Although the lawsuit sought damages ranging from $200,000 to $5,000,000, the church settled for an undisclosed amount on April 18. The church emphasized it admitted no liability and settled solely to “buy peace,” according to a public statement.

Previously, the church reportedly settled a 2016 lawsuit involving allegations that church leaders destroyed video footage showing a boy sexually assaulting another in the church’s child care program, as reported by WFAA.

Last month, Gateway Church’s founder, Robert Morris, publicly admitted to molesting a 12-year-old girl on Christmas night in 1982 when he was 20 years old and staying with her family. Morris, who was married with a young son at the time of the molestation, is now 62 years old. He resigned shortly after his admission garnered national attention.

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