GREG ABBOTT ENLISTED PASTOR ROBERT MORRIS TO PUSH 2017 BATHROOM BILL YEARS BEFORE HIS CHILD SEX ABUSE CONVICTION

GREG ABBOTT ENLISTED PASTOR ROBERT MORRIS TO PUSH 2017 BATHROOM BILL YEARS BEFORE HIS CHILD SEX ABUSE CONVICTION

AUSTIN, Texas: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott turned to prominent pastors in 2017 for help pressuring state lawmakers to pass legislation restricting which public restrooms transgender Texans could use.

One of the religious leaders contacted was Robert Morris, the founder and former senior pastor of Gateway Church in Southlake. Morris later pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a child.

Abbott confirmed in May 2017 that he encouraged pastors to contact members of the Texas House and push for passage of Senate Bill 6, commonly called the bathroom bill.

“These pastors were concerned about the possibility of no law passing that would protect the safety of women and children in bathrooms,” Abbott said during a radio interview at the time.

Morris reportedly said Abbott contacted him and 9 other churches seeking their involvement in the effort.

Senate Bill 6 would have required people to use restrooms, locker rooms and changing facilities in public schools, universities and government buildings that matched the sex listed on their birth certificates.

Supporters framed the legislation as a privacy and safety measure. Opponents argued that it discriminated against transgender Texans and improperly associated transgender bathroom access with sexual predators.

The proposal passed the Texas Senate 21 to 10 but died in the House without receiving a final vote. Similar restrictions introduced during a special legislative session also failed to pass in 2017.

Morris remained a nationally influential religious leader for several more years. He also served on an evangelical advisory board connected to President Donald Trump and hosted Trump at Gateway Church in 2020.

Morris resigned from Gateway Church in 2024 after Cindy Clemishire publicly accused him of sexually abusing her beginning when she was 12 years old.

The abuse began in 1982, when Morris was 21 and working as a traveling evangelist. Clemishire said it continued for approximately 4 years.

In October 2025, Morris pleaded guilty in Oklahoma to 5 felony counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child.

“There is no such thing as consent from a 12 year old child,” Clemishire said in court.

Morris received a 10 year sentence requiring him to serve the first 6 months in the Osage County Jail. The remaining sentence was suspended under supervision. He was also ordered to register as a sex offender and pay restitution.

Morris was released from jail in March 2026 after serving the required 6 months.

The accusations against Morris did not become widely public until 2024, and no publicly available evidence shows Abbott knew about the abuse when he contacted Morris in 2017.

When politicians enlist religious leaders to influence public policy, how much responsibility should they carry for vetting those leaders?