Equality Texas, the largest statewide organization solely dedicated to securing full equality for LGBTQ+ Texans, and The Transgender Education Network of Texas (TENT), the largest statewide, BIPOC trans-led, trans-focused policy, education, and advocacy organization in the state of Texas, are organizing a demonstration against a raft of anti-LGBT bills.
The organizations have released the following statements:
"With the anti-trans bills HB 10, HB 25 and SB 3 now referred to two House committees, we're looking at the potential of double the harm to families: double the anxiety, the worry, the lost hours from work and school spent testifying and asking to be treated with dignity. Equality Texas and our community partners the Transgender Education Network of Texas, Human Rights Campaign, Lambda Legal, ACLU of Texas, and Texas Freedom Network are committed to supporting our community in having their voices heard via testimony and through public demonstrations designed to shed light on how this unrelenting assault on trans young people and public debate about their humanity is already doing harm. Enough is enough," said Ricardo Martinez (he/him), Chief Executive Officer of Equality Texas.
“The Trevor Project received nearly 4,000 crisis contacts from transgender and nonbinary youth in Texas in 2021 — a 150% increase over the same period last year — with many directly stating that they are feeling stressed and considering suicide due to anti-trans laws, including sports bans, being debated in our state. This is nearly identical to what happened in 2017, when a bathroom bill in a special session — one with a lot of co-sponsors — caused record spikes in crisis contacts. This is an emergency," said Emmett Schelling (he/him), Executive Director of TENT.
"The mental health anguish trans people are in is a direct result of decisions lawmakers have made at the Capitol. They can choose to see us, and to legislate considering the negative implications we have presented to them time and time again. We hope that the unequivocal evidence of the harm caused by these bills and the record 75+ anti-LGBTQ+ bills (40+ of them anti-trans) filed this year will help lawmakers do right by trans Texans, and focus instead on real problems."
It comes as crisis lines have received nearly 4,000 contacts from transgender and nonbinary youth in Texas this year, with many directly stating that they are feeling stressed and considering suicide due to anti-trans laws being debated in Texas.
WHAT: Texans Deserve Better: Demonstration in opposition to HB 10, HB 25 & SB 3
Equality Texas, the Transgender Education Network of Texas, ACLU of Texas, Human Rights Campaign, Lambda Legal and the Texas Freedom Network will host a demonstration in protest of anti-transgender bills HB 10, HB 25 and SB 3 outside of the House Chambers.
WHEN: Thursday, September 30, 2021 | 10:30AM – 12:00PM
WHERE: Outside of the House chambers