Texas Lt Gov says football bosses have ‘lost their minds’ by opposing anti-LGBT laws
The Lieutenant Governor of Texas has claimed that major sporting bodies have “lost their minds” for threats to boycott his state if an anti-transgender law passes.
A number of anti-LGBT bills are currently before the Texas legislature which would permit discrimination against LGBT people, including so-called ‘religious freedom’ bills and anti-transgender laws.
Among them is SB6 – which would fine transgender people $1000 for going to the bathroom, and would override any local anti-discrimination laws protecting trans people.
After North Carolina faced a crippling economic boycott over a similar law, leaders from the entertainment industry, business world and sport have all this month warned Governor of Texas Greg Abbot that his state will also be shunned if he signs SB6.
Among them are the National Basketball Association and National Football League, both of which have threatened to move major games out of Texas if the law is passed to ensure the safety of fans and staff.
Most states would presumably be keen to retain the favour of organisations that bring millions in investment and tourism… but the Lieutenant Governor of Texas apparently believes the right way to win their business is to insult them.
The Republican official Dan Patrick ranted: “The NBA and the NFL have lost their minds, as well as their moral compas. They are shaking in their sneakers because they’re so afraid of political correctness.”
It comes after the Governor of Texas Greg Abbot admitted he “doesn’t care” about the potential impact of an economic boycott, which could cost Texans thousands of jobs.
He said: “We don’t care what the NFL thinks and certainly what their political policies are because they are not a political arm of the state of Texas or the United States of America.
“They need to learn their place in the United States, which is to govern football, not politics.”
