Last week was a big slap in the face to many transgender people in several states. Local state legislatures have opened up and/or are getting ready for session and many anti-transgender or anti-LGBT bills are being filed. In Texas, our esteemed Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, is at it again with the help of Lois Kolkhorst, a Republican Senator from Brenham, Texas. Together they have filed SB6 which is similar to HB2 from North Carolina. They called it the Texas Privacy Act and claim it to be a protection for the ‘women and children’ of Texas. In actuality this farce is a “bathroom bill” and the primary focus is on transgender women. Patrick never mentions transgender men in the bathrooms, except to state that “men can defend themselves” in an interview with the Houston Chronicle. Transgender men are far more at risk in the men’s bathroom than cisgender women in the women’s bathroom with a transgender woman. Personally, I would be more comfortable with a transgender woman than a cisgender man in the bathroom with myself or with my kids!
“If this is really about protection, what about protection for all of the women (transgender women are women) and for all children, because whether or not they are transgender, our children are still just children.”
If this is really about protection, what about protection for all of the women (transgender women are women) and for all children, because whether or not they are transgender, our children are still just children. It seems the true focus would be on the actual, know sex offenders or potential criminals and strengthening the laws around the acts we know are happening and not the boogie man theories that there are no reports of to date! What I do find disturbing is that I personally know someone who has kids under custodial care with one parent, that are living with a known sex offender and yet local Texas CPS will not intervene for the non-custodial parent and remove the children from the house. They have been quoted to say “they [CPS] do not like to split up families”. The birth father of these kids is their family, so it is obviously not an issue when it comes to sexual predators that happen to marry into a family. God forbid he takes any action and hurts these children. We have so much prevalent wrong-doing in the CPS system here in Texas, and yet the legislature wants to focus on bogus “protection” bills. The people of Texas need to wake the hell up and see what issues are or should be a priority within our state. Texas legislators need to have a better focus infrastructure including CPS, healthcare where recent changes have devastated the disabled children and on the poor standard of public education throughout the state.
If you are curious, you can take a look at SB6 for yourself, and you will see the blatant anti-trans wording as well as all the ridiculous pieces that have been included. Fines for non-compliance in schools allowing transgender kids to use their preferred bathrooms can be enforced – taking money away from education which is already suffering greatly and will allocate those “fines” collected under SB6 Sec. 769.154 (e) “A civil penalty collected by the attorney general under this section shall be deposited to the credit of the compensation to victims of crime fund established under Subchapter B, Chapter 56, Code of Criminal Procedure.” I really do not see how these two items correlate, or why education dollars would go anywhere else but to an education fund but that may just be me, or does anyone else see an issue with any of this?
“Enforcement of previous said laws would cut down on issues created by sexual predators and keep women, children, and all trans people safe!”
Regardless of robbing Peter to pay Paul, the bill goes further into creating “new” penalties for acts committed under this bill. If I remember correctly, there are many laws and statutes covering any criminal act perpetrated by anyone already on the books in every state. Enforcement of previous said laws would cut down on issues created by sexual predators and keep women, children, and all trans people safe! For some reason, our state leaders feel it is necessary to take away basic human rights and inflict heinous laws that are virtually unenforceable, on a growing demographic within the United States. This particular bill is also worded in such a way that it will give the Lt. Governor explicit control in any aspect pertaining to the bill. He himself says big government should stay out of local business. Which is it then? This sounds a bit too dictator-like to me. I wonder if he really paid attention to what happened in North Carolina since HB2 passed. The people quickly rid themselves of the leader of that fight, Bye, McCrory! North Carolina is also now suffering with economic losses yet Patrick merely says he is not worried as Texas has a flourishing economy. This may be true currently, but we would also like to keep it growing and not lose viable jobs, and monies because of a discrimination bill such as SB6.
This week has filled many parents of transgender kids locally with a fury that has been lit due to these horrific actions by our elected officials. We are mounting strength in numbers across the USA and will not back down. We are just continuing the fight we have all begun. I want to leave you with a poem to think about and remember this has actually happened before…
First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.
– Martin Niemoller
