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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Statement from Denton Parents Adam and Amber Briggle on the Meeting with Attorney General Ken Paxton
Posted on September 2, 2016 at 1:55 pm

Media Contact: Susan Risdon214-226-6741, susanrisdon@mac.com

Denton, Texas –  The Briggle family met with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and his wife Angela at the Briggle home in Denton Thursday evening before the Labor Day holiday. 

Amber, her husband Adam, daughter Lulu and the couple’s transgender son MG met for conversation and dinner. 

Last May at an Equality Texas press conference, Amber challenged Attorney General Paxton, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick and other leaders to sit down for dinner with her family and get to know them, so they will understand, they are just like everyone else. They are an ordinary Texas family who has been forced into the spotlight to protect their child. Yet the Briggles are not alone in this: There are at least 140 parents of transgender children from the Dallas Fort Worth area.

“I invited Attorney General Ken Paxton to sit down with our family and get to know his constituents and fellow Texans. I am pleased the attorney general took the time to visit with our family and to meet our son and to have a conversation with our family. We are Texans, just like everyone else.  My most important job in life is being a mom, and my son and his safety are my top priority. Since the attorney general has never met an openly transgender child, Adam and I felt that it was important for him to meet our amazing son, so that he could put a face to this issue. We expressed to him that it is his job as attorney general to protect the rights of all Texans, including transgender kids like MG, and we hope that after meeting our family, he will see that these disciminatory lawsuits and actions put our child in danger and affect his ability to succeed in school.”

Adam added “I hope that this meeting can set a tone of civility for our public discussions about LGBT issues. The dinner table is where we gather to share and celebrate our common humanity — love and family, hopes and worries, laughter and tears. At our meal together, I think we all were reminded that behind the political disagreements there are genuine and caring human beings who are striving to do the right thing as best as they can see it. Sympathy is the wellspring of morality and it can only be cultivated through sincere and friendly conversations like we had last night. I’d like to encourage other LGBT families to invite public officials to dine with them, and I hope those public servants will follow the example that the Paxtons set by so graciously accepting our invitation.”

The Briggles served up beef shish kabobs from a local ranch, watermelon, blueberry cobbler, and cornbread. The Paxton’s brought dessert.

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Equality Texas is the largest statewide organization working solely to secure full equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Texans through political action, education, community organizing, and collaboration.