Texas Rep urges probe after parents get unsolicited texts promoting transgender school toolkit

Several Texas parents reported receiving unexpected text messages that linked to a back-to-school toolkit for transgender students on the Transgender Education Network of Texas website. The messages, which also reached minors, prompted Rep. Jeff Leach to submit a formal request to Attorney General Ken Paxton for an investigation into the organization’s alleged role in helping Texans evade the state’s Parents Bill of Rights, SB 12.

Leach’s letter also asked whether the group improperly obtained phone numbers and other personal data, potentially violating privacy and consumer-protection laws. TENT issued a statement saying the texts were not authorized or distributed by them and do not reflect the organization’s official communications. The issue arises amid a federal judge’s preliminary injunction that has temporarily halted SB 12’s enforcement in Houston, Katy and Plano school districts. The dispute highlights tensions between transgender-rights advocates and Texas lawmakers over school policies and data privacy.