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| Protesters rally in favor of transgender rights at the Texas Capitol, on July 21, 2017. Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune |
Texas Senate Republicans advanced a bill Wednesday banning transgender people from single sex multiple occupancy spaces in emergency shelters, county hospitals, libraries, and restrooms in state and city county-owned buildings.
Senate bill SB 240, inexplicitly dubbed the "Texas Women's Privacy Act", closely resembles the state's first attempt to pass a bathroom bill in 2017, which was opposed by mayors, police chiefs, and teachers' unions.
The difference between then and now has nothing to do with transgender people and everything to do with the radicalization of the legislative branch and the resulting animus the Texas GOP has towards the transgender community.
When State Sen. Nathan Johnson (D-Dallas) questioned the bill's author, State Sen Mayes Middleton (R-Galveston) about the need for the bill Middleton could not provide an answer.
"Do you have any evidence that men are committing crimes in women's restrooms?" Johnson asked Middleton.
Middleton retorted, "We know it's fundamentally not right to have a man go into a woman's restroom."
"That's not my question. You've said it a bunch of times. My question is, do you have any data?" Johnson asked.
Middleton did not.
SB240 is insidious legislation that makes no mention of transgender people, ergo the phrasing of Sen. Nathan Johnson's question.
@cbsaustin Revived 'bathroom bill' and several other anti-trans bills await debate at Texas Capitol
♬ original sound - CBS Austin
The Senate bill only needs one more vote, then it will be sent to the House, that has an identical bill HB 239, with nearly every republican representative as a co-signer.
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