Earlier this year, Thierry, who was raised Catholic and is a practicing Baptist, lost her primary election after siding with Republicans on several bills opposed by the LGBTQ community. In a statement, Thierry said, “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.” She added, “That’s why I am leaving the left and joining the party of family, faith, and freedom.” Thierry, a 54-year-old attorney who has served in the Texas House for eight years, angered her Democratic colleagues during the most recent legislative session by supporting a bill that prohibited cross-sex hormones and sex change surgeries for minors. She also broke ranks with her party to support a Republican bill aimed at removing sexually explicit books from school libraries. Additionally, Thierry voted in favor of legislation requiring transgender college athletes to play on teams that correspond with their biological sex. The Democratic Party invested nearly a million dollars in the primary contest that ultimately led to Thierry's defeat and her replacement by an LGBTQ activist who won with a double-digit lead. Earlier this month, Thierry accepted a position as the director of political strategy for Genspect, an organization that advocates for non-medicalized solutions to gender distress. “Mothers around our country from all backgrounds, races, and communities understand that it’s our sacred duty to preserve the innocence of our children, protect them from being sexualized, and sterilized,” Thierry said. “To respect universal truths, and to uphold the rights of biological women as defined by science, nature, and common sense.” She added, “I am leaving the left because the left has abandoned Democrats who feel betrayed by a party that has lost its way, lost its commitment to hard working families.”State Representative Shawn Thierry, a Houston Democrat, has announced her decision to switch to the Republican Party, stating that the GOP aligns more closely with her core values and the best interests of the country.
