On this penultimate day in our series about awful bills in state legislatures, we are headed to Texas:
Following Governor Abbott’s cruel targeting of families with trans children through the misuse of Child Protective Services, the Texas Legislature is ramping up a full slate of hate legislation targeting trans youth in 2023. SB249 is one of several horrifying examples. This bill would deem gender-affirming care to be “female genital mutilation” and target both the providers of this necessary health care and the parents of these vulnerable children.
Further, the bill would criminalize transporting minors for the purpose of trans-related health care. With trans rights under attack across the nation, criminalizing parents who are seeking life-saving care for their children is dangerous and cruel. Moreover, this bill undermines efforts to address actual female genital mutilation.
This recent story in the Texas Tribune illustrates what’s at stake for families.
This legislation strongly mirrors Project Blitz legislation. Project Blitz is a coordinated effort of forty Christian coalitions with the sole goal of injecting religion into education, health care, and other civil rights under the guise of “religious freedom.” Project Blitz legislation explicitly states that “legislation is being introduced across states around the country to try to limit religious opposition to the LGBT lifestyle.” Project Blitz further calls on legislators to counter sexual orientation and gender identity as a civil rights category.
With the help of our volunteer Secular Advocacy Team in Texas, we will fight this destructive, trans-phobic effort.
Please support our work on the ground!
Thank you for your generosity.
Brittany Williams
State Policy Counsel
PS: If you would prefer to mail your gift, please don’t wait! The year end is rapidly approaching. You can send your check to American Atheists, 225 Cristiani Street, Cranford NJ 07016 or contact my colleague Martina Fern for immediate assistance. She can be reached at 908-666-6574, or [email protected].
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American Atheists
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See Also:
Six Days of Awful Bills – Day One
Six Days of Awful Bills – Day Two
Six Days of Awful Bills – Day Three
Six Days of Awful Bills – Day Four
Six Days of Awful Bills – Day Six