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In an exclusive interview, Attorney General Ken Paxton says the state will ‘fight back in every way we can.’

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May 19, 2016 (LifeSiteNews) – Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton told LifeSiteNews on Thursday that Texas will “fight back in every way we can” if the state loses federal funding for refusing to adopt the Obama administration’s new transgender mandate.

Last week, the Obama administration issued a “guidance” to all public schools advising them that they risk the loss of federal funding if they do not allow biological males to shower and use the restroom and locker rooms with girls and vice versa.  Those of the opposite biological sex must also be allowed to share hotel rooms on school trips, the administration warned.  No medical treatment or diagnosis is required for students to access intimate facilities designated for the opposite sex.

“We consider this an extremely risky policy,” Paxton told LifeSiteNews.  “It’s unconstitutional and it’s outside of the authority of the president to do this from his position.”

Paxton called the push to allow males in female intimate facilities and vice versa “a solution in search of a problem.”

“I don’t think this is resolving any particular problem,” said Paxton.  “If there are issues with transgender children, then those need to be dealt with.  But this policy doesn’t help anybody, it only puts our children at risk.”

“We will likely see some school districts in our state adopt policies that are…in direct opposition,” to the Obama administration’s new transgender bathroom edict, Paxton predicted.  “And those school districts have the right to ask the Attorney General’s office to represent them in any litigation with the Administration…I would expect that at least one school district in the state, probably many, will adopt policies and some of them will ask us to help them.  And if they ask, we will help, and we will be actively involved in litigation against the Obama administration.”

Paxton said the people of Texas are “pleased that we’re actually standing up.”  At a recent press conference in Fort Worth about the school district’s new policy allowing males in female bathrooms, Paxton said he felt from a diverse group of parents and grandparents “a strong sense that they weren’t being listened to and that their kids were at risk unnecessarily from the superintendent and from the Obama administration.”

On May 3, Paxton wrote a letter to the CEO of Target asking the company to provide its safety policies to protect women and children from “those who would use the cover of Target’s restroom policy for nefarious purposes.”  

He told LifeSiteNews that he has not yet received any response.

“I think my citizens have a right to know what their policies are as it relates to safety,” he said.

Paxton said ordinary people can make their voices heard by speaking to their elected officials and “with how you spend your money.”

“If there are businesses that are adopting policies that [people] are concerned about, they don’t have to take their families into those stores,” said Paxton.

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