Joe Straus, the moderate Republican speaker of the Texas House. Image by Watchdog.org

By Ari Feldman July 18, 2017

The moderate brand of Texas Republican politics practiced by Joe Straus, the Jewish speaker of the Texas House of Representatives, may be on the line as a 30-day special legislative session begins Tuesday.

The main event is Texas’ version of the bathroom bill, which could restrict transgender people to using bathrooms for the gender assigned to them at birth in schools and government-owned buildings.

Straus, whom the New York Times called “the public face of the opposition to the bathroom bill,” is one of the last remaining high-profile Texas politicians taking a stand against far-right wing conservatism.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis of the crisis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

“I’m not embarrassed to say that I know how to govern without being an extremist,” Straus told the Times.

Straus, born to a major Jewish family in Texas, has been elected speaker five times. In 2010, emails circulated among Texas Republican Committee suggesting that Straus be replaced as speaker because he was not Christian. Straus’ opponents in the fight against the bathroom bill are also largely religious Christians.

“Too many of our state leaders spend too much of their focus and attention on divisive social issues,” Straus said. “You can count me out.”

Contact Ari Feldman at [email protected] or on Twitter @aefeldman.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse..

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount