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James M. Lattimer

I strongly discourage students and postdocs from considering the University of Texas, or any university in Texas, at this time. This state actively discriminates against women, encourages the harassment of women, allows prosecution of their doctors, and violates everyone's civil liberties. I am ashamed to have had an association with the State of Texas.
Other states with laws that severely restrict women's fundamental rights over their own bodies include Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, South Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Wyoming. A woman would have to be crazy to consider living in these states. This should be considered in decisions about your future no matter your gender.
Texas has also enacted legislation or executive orders that prohibit local mask mandates (along with Arizona, Arkansas, Iowa, Oklahoma, Florida, South Carolina and Utah). Faculty at UT Austin can't even ask their students to wear masks or face dismissal. Texas also prohibit vaccine mandates (along with Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Tennessee and Utah) advocated by public health officials elsewhere, which obviously endangers your life and health and that of your families. Florida, Texas and many of those states go so far as to make opt-outs very easy to obtain, which has triggered the current measles outbreaks, the US now having more cases than in any year in the last 3 decades.
Another consideration are risks associated with relatively unlimited access to firearms. The states with the most lenient gun laws are New Hampshire, South Carolina, Georgia, Louisiana, Maine, Texas, Montana, West Virginia, Alabama, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Alaska, Kansas, South Dakota, Arizona, Kentucky, Missouri, Idaho, Wyoming, and Mississippi. Since 2020, firearms have been the leading cause of death for American children aged 1-19. They are the leading cause of death for Americans aged 20-24, surpassing automobile accidents and drug overdoses.
Employment in or travel to these states should be avoided.
Another reason not to take up residency in Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Michigan, Kansas, Wisconsin, Missouri, Idaho, Georgia, Missippi, Virginia, and Indiana is that they are acting like they are in 1930s Germany: they are banning large numbers of books from both school and public libraries. But for a limited time, and possibly indefinitely, individuals aged 13-21 nationwide can apply for an eCard by emailing the Brooklyn Public Library allowing free access to many of these banned books. Teenagers in New York State can always get a free eCard. Other sources for obtaining free copies of banned books are Com Library, Many Books, Libby, and Hoopla.