Lawmakers in the Texas Legislature are considering a bill that would prohibit people in the state from changing gender markers on birth certificates to reflect gender identity.
This measure, Senate Bill 406, is currently under discussion in the Texas Senate.
Last year, the Texas Department of Public Safety suspended gender changes to driver’s licenses unless courts intervene, according to Fox 4.
The Senate bill blocks gender changes to birth certificates, regardless of whether there is a court order.
Texas lawmakers are proposing a bill that bans gender transition treatment for all people, including adults.
Texas lawmakers are considering a bill that would prohibit people in the state from changing the gender of their birth certificates. (Tamir Kalifa/Getty Images)
“The bill does not limit anyone’s personal expression, it is to ensure that legal documents reflect accurate statistics,” GOP state senator Middleton, who sponsored the bill, said at a state committee hearing Monday. “Now, the only way to change sex is through court orders, and this bill is blocking it.”
Testifying before the committee, Texas group Megan Benton said this was “a matter of public safety and public records.”
“If a man can legally change his birth certificate and say he is a woman, he can get a driver’s license, passport and Social Security card that he says is a woman,” she said.
Several trans Texans also testified before the committee, believing they are unfairly targeted.
The SB 406 is currently being debated in the Texas Senate. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
“I’m not a monster. This isn’t fetish for me. I didn’t decide to be a woman,” Amanda McLaughlin said.
Megan Fairbanks asked, “What harm am I doing?”
“I’m not playing sports. All I want to do in the bathroom is to use the bathroom to put on makeup and wash my hands,” Fairbanks said.
Texas policy coordinator Landon Richie’s Transgender Education Network argued that the bill would lead to isolation and encourage others to discriminate or place targets on the backs of trans people he said were already vulnerable.
Dylan Mulbany responds to Gavin Newsom’s comments about trans athletes taking part in women’s sports
Some transgender Texans said they believe they are unfairly targeted. (Adobe Co., Ltd.)
Click here to get the Fox News app
The bill will pass the Senate and be sent to the House of Representatives.
This comes after state lawmakers passed a law prohibiting biological men from competing in girls’ school sports.
At the federal level, President Donald Trump has signed an executive order recognising men and women as their sole genders.
Source link
