A state representative from McKinney, Texas says that transgender children are mentally ill and letting them express their gender identities is tantamount to child abuse. The remarks were made by state Rep. Scott Sanford during a panel discussion on bathroom privacy legislation which was produced by CBS DFW (KTVT-TV) and streamed on Facebook Live on…
Anti-LGBT Bills Filed a Week Before Special Legislative Session
On July 10, Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued a proclamation calling members of the State Legislature to a Special Legislative Session which is set to begin on July 18. Within hours of the governor’s announcement, two lawmakers filed three bills which would affect transgender Texans’ bathroom use and threaten the protections LGBT citizens have under…
Texas Supreme Court Throws Out Ruling That Favored Same-Sex Marriage Benefits
By Alexa Ura, The Texas Tribune June 30, 2017 Editor’s note: This story has been updated throughout. The Texas Supreme Court on Friday threw out a lower court ruling that said spouses of gay and lesbian public employees are entitled to government-subsidized same-sex marriage benefits. The state’s highest civil court ordered a trial court to…
Citing Religious Refusal of Adoption Rule, California Bans State Travel to Texas
By Matthew Watkins, The Texas Tribune June 22, 2017 Saying that a new Texas law allowing child welfare providers to deny adoptions to parents based on “sincerely held religious beliefs” is discriminatory, California’s attorney general on Thursday banned state-funded travel to Texas. The attorney general’s office said in a news release that Texas’ House Bill…
UT/TT Poll: Texas voters weigh in on importance of “bathroom bill”
By Ross Ramsey, The Texas Tribune June 19, 2017 The “bathroom bill” that preoccupied the Texas Legislature for the first half of the year is important to only 44 percent of the state’s voters — and “very important” to only 26 percent, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. During the regular session,…
Texas Governor Signs Bill Denying Adoption to Same-Sex Couples
Texas Governor Greg Abbot signed House Bill 3859 on June 15, allowing faith-based adoption agencies to deny placement of foster children with same-sex couples, Jews, Muslims and others based on “the provider’s sincerely held religious beliefs.” The bill was authored by Rep. James Frank (R-Wichita Falls), vice chairman of the House Human Services Committee. According…
Texas lawmakers, “bathroom bill” opponents prepare for round two
By Alexa Ura, The Texas Tribune June 6, 2017 Among the Elder family’s dinnertime conversations last year was nailing down which sports their son Ben wanted to try out over the summer. This summer, another conversation topic — whether their 11-year-old transgender son will lose the right to use the boys’ bathroom at school —…
Texas House approves bathroom restrictions for transgender students
By Alexa Ura, The Texas Tribune May 21, 2017 Editor’s note: This story has been updated throughout. Amid threats of a special legislative session over the “bathroom bill,” the Texas House on Sunday took a last-minute vote to approve a proposal that would keep transgender students from using school bathrooms that match their gender identity.…
Texas Gov. Abbott Signals Support for “Bathroom Bill” from Texas House
By Patrick Svitek, The Texas Tribune April 18, 2017 Gov. Greg Abbott is signaling support for House legislation that some hope will serve as an alternative to the Senate’s “bathroom bill.” In a statement Tuesday, Abbott called the House alternative developed by state Rep. Ron Simmons, R-Carrollton, a “thoughtful proposal.” The revised version of Simmons’…
Texas Conservatives Are Still Fighting Marriage Equality
Originally published in the San Antonio Current. On Wednesday, March 1, the Texas Supreme Court will hear arguments over a lawsuit that not only targets the rights of married gay couples in the state but also seeks to blunt the impact of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling that granted marriage equality nationwide in the…