Judge Slaps Brakes On Texas LGBTQ Club Crackdown In Houston, Katy And Plano

A federal judge in Texas on Friday hit pause on key parts of a hotly debated education law that targets L.G.B.T.Q. student groups and staff support for students’ social transitions.

The temporary order blocks enforcement in the Houston, Katy and Plano independent school districts while a closely watched lawsuit plays out in federal court, according to the Houston Chronicle.

The ruling, as reported by The New York Times, came in response to a lawsuit brought by civil-rights groups, a teachers’ union, two high school students and a teacher.

They sued to stop Senate Bill 12, arguing that it censors protected speech and singles out LGBTQ students for unequal treatment.

The case has been unfolding this school year in U.S. District Court in Houston.

What the Law Does

Senate Bill 12, signed by Gov. Greg Abbott in 2025, bans school-sponsored clubs "based on sexual orientation or gender identity" and prohibits school staff from helping a student with a social transition, according to Wikipedia.

Districts across the state have already been reworking handbook language and club sponsorship policies to comply with its diversity, equity and inclusion restrictions and transition rules, local coverage has shown, as reported by the Houston Chronicle.

The Legal Challenge

The lawsuit, GSA Network v. Morath, was filed in August 2025 by the ACLU of Texas, the Transgender Law Center and Baker McKenzie on behalf of the GSA Network, Students Engaged in Advancing Texas, Texas AFT, two students and a teacher.

The plaintiffs contend that four provisions of S.B. 12 violate the First Amendment, the Fourteenth Amendment and the federal Equal Access Act.

They asked the court for a preliminary injunction to halt enforcement while the case proceeds, according to the ACLU of Texas.

Immediate Effects on Campuses

In court filings and local reporting, students and educators described a chilling effect even before the law fully took hold.

Some Gender and Sexuality Alliance chapters shut down ahead of the effective date, and one filing warned that 22 student-run GSAs could be on the chopping block, according to The Dallas Morning News.

Plaintiffs’ court papers detail students being deadnamed, clubs losing sponsorship and staff being directed to steer clear of supporting students’ social transitions.

Their motion for a preliminary injunction, which lays out those examples and the legal arguments, is publicly available via a filing on Scribd.

What Comes Next

The judge’s order is preliminary and limited to the named districts while the broader litigation continues.

At this stage, courts typically focus on whether there is an immediate risk of harm before wading into the full constitutional questions.

Legal observers and local reporting expect more motions, additional hearings and likely appeals as both sides push their arguments in federal court.

Voices on the Ruling

Cameron Samuels, executive director of Students Engaged in Advancing Texas, welcomed the ruling in a statement, describing the pause as a crucial breather while students look for reassurance and legal protection, according to The New York Times.

The Texas Education Agency and the school districts named in the lawsuit did not immediately respond to requests for comment, according to court filings and local reports.

The case will determine whether Texas can enforce sweeping limits on student clubs and classroom speech tied to sexual orientation and gender identity.

For now, students in Houston, Katy and Plano have a temporary buffer while the courts sort out the constitutional stakes.

The ACLU’s case page and the plaintiffs’ filings, which outline the legal battle in detail, are available from the ACLU of Texas and in the public court record.