In a nonbinding opinion, Ken Paxton said the Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council doesn’t have the authority to punish social workers who refuse service to clients based on their sexual orientation, gender identity or disability status.

Trinity University professor Amy Stone joined the KSAT Q&A on Wednesday to talk about Pride Month and help educate others about the LGBTQ+ community.

The Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council voted unanimously to restore protections for LGBTQ and disabled clients to Texas social workers’ code of conduct just two weeks after removing them. The governor’s office recommended removing language that prohibited social workers from turning away clients on the basis of disability, sexual orientation or gender identity. That set off an immediate firestorm of criticism from social workers, LGBTQ advocates and advocates for people with disabilities. "We are so grateful for the vote to keep the anti-discrimination protections in place," said Will Francis, executive director of the Texas chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. "This is a recognition of the key principle that a social worker’s personal beliefs must never impede a person’s right to self-determination or access to services."

Advocates called the move by the Texas State Board of Social Work Examiners, which has not yet been finalized, an attempt to create “two classes of Texans” during a press conference organized by the Texas chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. There is currently no law in Texas that protects LGBTQ people from discrimination. The code will no longer prohibit social workers from discriminating on the basis of a disability, sexual orientation or gender identity. Greg Abbott’s office recommended the change, board members said, because the nondiscrimination protections went further than those laid out in state law. The change sparked national backlash, including from 11 members of Texas’ congressional delegation who called on Abbott and the board to reverse the decision.