University LGBT resource centers in Texas may be safe for now. Thursday night, state Rep. Bill Zedler (R) withdrew his amendment to the appropriations bill that would have cut funding for any public universities that provided support service for LGBT students. Zedler did not explain his decision to withdraw, but his actions mirror those of Rep. Wayne Christian (R) who proposed then withdrew a similar measure in 2011.
Zedler’s bill not-so-subtly suggested that homosexuality directly causes disease:
An institution of higher education may not use money appropriated to the institution under this Act, or any property or facility of the institution funded by appropriations under this Act, to support, promote, or encourage any behavior that would lead to high risk behavior for AIDS, HIV, Hepatitis B, or any sexually transmitted disease.
Though Zedler’s amendment is not advancing, efforts are still underway to undermine the support for LGBT students, particularly at Texas A&M University, where students are attempting to opt-out of funding the campus’s center on religious grounds.
