Shawn Thierry
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Shawn Nicole Thierry | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Texas House of Representatives from the 146th district | |
| In office January 10, 2017 – January 14, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Borris Miles |
| Succeeded by | Lauren Ashley Simmons |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Shawn Nicole Thierry August 6, 1969[1] |
| Party | Republican |
| Other political affiliations | Democratic (until 2024) |
| Alma mater | Howard University (BA) Texas Southern University (JD)[2] |
| Occupation | Attorney |
| Signature |  |
Shawn Nicole Thierry (born August 6, 1969) is an American politician. She was 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 Ashley 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
In April 2023, Thierry voted with Republicans 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.[8][9]
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.[10][11][12] She has also voted in favor of bans on trans women from women's sports.[13]
On March 5, 2024, Thierry came in second in the primary elections to her challenger, Lauren Ashley Simmons, a progressive queer union organizer who ran in opposition to Thierry's anti-LGBT votes and activism,[14][15] and was forced into a run-off. On May 28, 2024, Thierry was defeated by Simmons, having received 35.4% of the vote.[16] After losing her re-election bid, Thierry joined the American wing of the gender-critical group Genspect as the director of political strategy.[17] 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.[18]
Personal life
Thierry is a former Catholic and practicing Southern Baptist.[19]