Texas education board could ban textbooks that discuss gender identity under proposed bill

Conservative lawmakers are trying to expand their war on books they find objectionable with a bill that critics fear would allow the state’s authorities on school curriculum to reject textbooks based on their political and religious beliefs. House Bill 1804, authored by freshman state Rep. Terri Leo-Wilson, R-Galveston, would allow the State Board of Education to reject textbooks for students below ninth grade if they include content on sexual orientation, gender identity and sexual activity. Textbooks could also be rejected if they fail to present U.S. history in a positive light or “encourage lifestyles that deviate from generally accepted standards of society.”