Senate Bill 12 enacted Sept. 1, 2025 is a new law prohibiting public schools from sponsoring gender and sexuality based clubs.
Young Women’s Leadership Summit was a small club open to young women all around the world. The school had a local chapter since October, 2021, but since the new bill passed, YWLS was re-titled the Leadership Club.
“I think it is unfortunate for the young women who had a safe space to be themselves, and allow them to be themselves with other like-minded people,” sponsor Linda Billings said.
Due to the new bill being passed by the State of Texas government the young women who previously participated in the national club while on campus are not rejoining.
“It defeats the purpose of YWLS. They’re taking the ‘young women’ part out. That was the whole point of the club: to bring young women up and empower them, not bring them down and destroy confidence,” senior Delaney Grennier said.
Another club specifically banned by the state is the former Gender-Sexuality Alliance which was sponsored by schools for the LGBTQ community.
According to the club’s sponsor Lauren Bibeault, GSA was a social space for students to visit once a week and share weekly victories in their lives.
“Understandably the dissolution of the GSA due to SB 12 is a loss to our community of support. However, I believe in the goodness of our students to find places of connection within clubs and organizations on campus,” Bibeault said. “Former GSA students are continuing to thrive where they are planted which is a great lifelong skill I hope they carry with them beyond KOHS.”
This bill has removed hundreds of clubs in Texas but clubs that fall under the category of religion are not mentioned in this bill–they’re still in action.
“Since the new bill that passed this year does not specify anything about religious organizations, Panthers For Christ is allowed to be a club on campus,” assistant principal Amanda Kelly said.
Panthers For Christ is allowed to meet on campus before school hours, and they’re provided a space for them to worship. The club encourages all students to join the club.
“Panthers For Christ is what we call a non-curriculum club, meaning that they have to fill out an application, which has to get approved by the school and the parents,” Kelly said. “But, the school does not endorse it, therefore it stays neutral between everything.”
Religious clubs across Texas must follow rules and regulations that must be followed in order for these clubs to stay open.
