It’s been another big week at the legislature. Both chambers again held votes targeting transgender Texans — and there’s still a month left in the legislative session.
SB 1646 (Perry), which criminalizes parents, doctors, and guardians who provide best-practice, life-saving care for transgender youth, passed the Senate on a partisan vote.
A big thank you to the Senate Democrats who passionately defended transgender children and their families this week, particularly Senator John Whitmire, Senator Nathan Johnson, Senator Sarah Eckhardt, and Senator Jose Menendez. Thank you for combating misinformation and drilling down to the real impact these bills will have on Texas families.
The Senate is an important tool to slow legislation and utilize debate to expose these attacks for what they are, but the House is where we have historically killed anti-LGBTQ+ bills. As the pressure mounts all eyes will be on the House to see how they handle these issues.
HB 1399 (Krause), which prohibits doctors from providing life-saving care for transgender youth, is currently in the Calendars committee, an extremely powerful committee that decides when or if a bill gets to the House floor. Anti-LGBTQ+ organizations have already called on their members to put pressure on this committee to move the bill. We have to meet them call for call.
Representative Brian Slaton (R-Royse City) attempted for the sixth time to add an anti-transgender amendment to an unrelated bill. The vote on the amendment failed. These amendments are an under-the-radar way to enact anti-transgender legislation, and we will continue to be vigilant to stop them in their tracks.
Members of our community rallied in-person on Wednesday to bring the fight right to the steps of the Capitol. The rally showcased the powerful voices of parents, youth, legislators, and faith leaders right outside legislators’ offices. Our community showed up to protect transgender youth and strongly denounce the lies surrounding these bills.
We have to keep the pressure on — in two weeks, on May 13, is the deadline for House bills such as 1399 (Krause) to be debated on the House floor. If the bill doesn’t move in two weeks, it dies in Calendars, eliminating that pathway for a ban on healthcare for transgender youth.
After you’ve sent a message to the Calendars committee you can:
Thank you all for following along and uniting with us as we do everything we can to stop these attacks. It’s been a long, hard session, but we’re in the final stretch. This is where we must be the most vigilant and where the pressure needs to be the strongest. If you haven’t taken action up to this point, this is the time to do so. If you haven’t roped in your friends, chosen family, and Facebook feeds, this is the time to do so.
Join us for the final push through May so that no families have to leave Texas because of fear for their safety or the safety of their kids. If you attack one Texan, you attack all Texans. Help us make those words a reality and protect transgender Texans today.
P.S. These weekly updates are meant to keep you informed, and Equality Texas values your activism as much as your dollar. But the fact is, we’re only able to do this work with financial support. If you can, consider a donation to support our lobbying efforts.
Like Equality Texas on Facebook!
Like on Facebook
