"Pitched by Republicans as a “parents' bill of rights,” like many similar bills in states across the country, SB 12 is a lengthy law that doesn’t just target trans+ students. Its nearly 40 pages contain a wishlist of right-wing talking points about public education.
SB 12 broadly targets schooling that acknowledges queer and trans life. It also bans clubs “based on sexual orientation or gender identity,” like Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs), which have been vital sources of support for LGBTQ+ students at schools around the country since the first GSAs’ founding in 1972. According to the ACLU of Texas, it may also put an end to clubs that support women, Black and Brown people, and other marginalized groups. The law prohibits “developing or implementing policies, procedures, trainings, activities, or programs that reference race, color, ethnicity, gender identity, or sexual orientation” and prevents school staff from supporting the mental, physical, or emotional health of students without getting explicit permission from their parents.
Ash Hall, a policy and advocacy strategist on LGBTQIA+ rights for the ACLU of Texas, told Teen Vogue they believe the restrictions around mental health care could also have wide-ranging impacts on LGBTQ+ kids. “If a student is, for example, going to start seeking counseling at school based on struggles they’re experiencing around their gender identity or sexual orientation, then alerting the parents and guardians that the student is seeking that could open that student up to being outed,” said Hall."
https://www.teenvogue.com/story/texas-schools-forced-to-deadname-trans-students