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Shawn Thierry

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Shawn Nicole Thierry
Member of the Texas House of Representatives
from the 146th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 10, 2017
Preceded byBorris Miles
Personal details
Born (1969-08-06) August 6, 1969 (age 55)[1]
Political partyRepublican
Other political
affiliations		Democratic (until 2024)
Residence(s)Houston, Texas, U.S.
Alma materHoward University (BA)
Texas Southern University (JD)[2]
OccupationAttorney

Shawn Nicole Thierry (born August 6, 1969) is an American politician. She is a Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives, after an August 30, 2024 switch from the Democratic Party,[3] representing the 146th District. She won the November 2016 general election and was sworn into office on January 10, 2017.[4] She lost her re-election bid for her Texas House seat on May 28, 2024 after being defeated by Lauren Simmons by 65% to 35% in the Democratic primary runoff.[5] Thierry was an unsuccessful candidate for the 57th Civil District Court in 2010.[6]

Positions

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In April 2023, Thierry voted in favor of HB 900, to ban books from public schools deemed "sexually explicit". The bill was heavily criticized by LGBT advocates for including books containing reference to LGBT topics in its definition of sexually explicit.[7][8]

In May of that year, Thierry broke ranks with her party to vote in favor of a bill to ban gender affirming care for trans minors.[9][10][11] She has also voted in favor of bans on trans women from women's sports.[12]

On March 5, 2024, Thierry came in second in the primary elections to her challenger, Lauren Ashley Simmons, a queer union organizer who ran in opposition to Thierry's anti-LGBT votes and activism,[13][14] and was forced into a run-off. On May 28, 2024, Thierry was defeated by Simmons, having received 35.4% of the vote.[15] After losing her re-election bid, Thierry joined the American wing of the gender-critical group Genspect as the director of political strategy.[16] On August 30, 2024, Thierry officially announced that she would be leaving the Democratic Party and joining the Republican Party.[a][3] Thierry further discussed her decision to leave the Democratic Party at the 2024 national summit for the right-wing group Moms for Liberty.[17]

Personal life

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Thierry is a former Catholic and practicing Southern Baptist.[18]

Notes

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  1. ^ “The Democratic Party has veered so far left, so deep into the progressive abyss, that it now champions policies I cannot, in good conscience, support—policies like promoting sex changes for vulnerable children and dismantling Title IX protections for women in sports,” Thierry wrote in her statement. “That’s why I am leaving the left and joining the party of family, faith, and freedom. I now stand with colleagues, friends, neighbors, women, and mothers in the Republican Party.”

References

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  1. ^ "Rep. Shawn Thierry - Texas State Directory Online".
  2. ^ "Rep. Shawn Thierry (R)". Texas State Directory. September 2, 2024. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
  3. ^ a b DuPree, Will (August 30, 2024). "Houston lawmaker switches parties after Democratic primary loss". KXAN-TV. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  4. ^ Svitek, Patrick (August 6, 2016). "Attorney Wins Democratic Nod to Replace Rep. Borris Miles". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  5. ^ Texas Election Results Tracker: May 28, 2024 Runoff Election, The Texan, May 28, 2024.
  6. ^ Kuffner, Charles (June 21, 2016). "Kuff's World Judicial Q&A revisited: Shawn Thierry". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  7. ^ Dey, Sneha (April 19, 2023). "Texas House passes bill that aims to keep sexually explicit materials out of school libraries". The Texas Tribune.
  8. ^ Lewis, Ricardo (April 19, 2023). "TX House initially passes bill that keeps sexually explicit books out of school libraries". CBS News.
  9. ^ Nguyen, Alex; Melhado, William (May 12, 2023). "Pivotal House vote moves Texas closer to banning puberty blockers, hormone treatments for trans kids". The Texas Tribune.
  10. ^ Nguyen, Alex; Melhado, William (May 15, 2023). "Texas moves closer to banning puberty blockers for trans kids". CBS News.
  11. ^ McGaughy, Lauren (May 12, 2023). "Texas is one step from banning gender affirming medical care for transgender youth". The Dallas Morning News.
  12. ^ Goldenstein, Taylor (June 10, 2023). "Houston Democrat's support of transgender care ban, anti-LGBTQ measures has roiled the party". Houston Chronicle.
  13. ^ Reed, Erin (May 29, 2024). "Anti-trans Texas Democrat loses primary to queer woman". Washington Blade. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
  14. ^ Zuvanich, Adam (March 6, 2024). "State Rep. Shawn Thierry, a Houston Democrat who voted with Republicans on anti-LGBTQ+ bills, headed to likely primary runoff". Houston Public Media.
  15. ^ Goldenstein, Taylor. "Lauren Ashley Simmons defeats Houston state Rep. Shawn Thierry". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  16. ^ Downen, Robert (August 22, 2024). "Rep. Shawn Thierry joins anti-trans policy group after losing Democratic primary". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
  17. ^ Goldenstein, Taylor (August 30, 2024). "Outgoing Houston state Rep. Shawn Thierry says she's joining the GOP". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
  18. ^ Wagner, Bayliss. "State Rep. Shawn Thierry switches to GOP, says Dems have veered into 'progressive abyss'". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
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