Get the Facts on SB 3/ HB 25 Discrimination Against Trans Kids

Despite deep exhaustion from speaking out against repeated attempts to pass anti-trans legislation, supporters of LGTBQ+ equality have been tireless in their efforts to ask Texas legislators to stop targeting Texas families and children with these discriminatory bills. The Texas Legislature has set a record this year for the highest number of anti-LGBTQ bills filed in the country. So time after time, Texans had to travel hundreds of miles and waited many hours to testify about the life-threatening harms that discriminatory bills cause. And now, for the fourth time this year, HRC is working with partner organizations to mobilize supporters and allies to speak out against these discriminatory and harmful bills. In this special session, identical bills are being pushed on two separate paths to reach the House floor: SB 3, going through the traditional route through the House Public Education Committee, and HB 25, going through the new House Select Committee on Constitutional Rights and Remedies.

SB 3/HB 25 Target Trans Children by Banning them from Playing Sports

Sports are a crucial element of childhood development, and every child should have an opportunity to participate. Trans inclusion in athletics has been happening successfully for years at every level of play. This bill is a discriminatory “solution” to a problem that even the proponents of this bill cannot provide examples of. And enacting discriminatory laws like SB 3/ HB 25 would make it more difficult for your employees with transgender children to live in Texas. While on the surface, anti-trans sports bills may seem innocuous, or at least not a business concern, neither is true. SB 3/ HB 25 would codify discrimination against transgender people, particularly youth - which is bad for kids, families, and business.

These Bills do Not Reflect What Texans Want

After efforts to push discriminatory bills failed in three previous sessions this year, a small group of legislative leaders have again reintroduced these bills — even though they are clearly not what Texans want. In fact, they threaten not only the well-being of Texas families and communities, but also the viability of our businesses too. Study after study shows these kinds of bills simply do not align with Texas voters’ priorities – instead, they represent the views of a small yet politically powerful group whose only agenda seems to be hurting families that may not be like theirs. Companies are clear that they strongly oppose discriminatory, anti-LGBTQ bills like these because they will make it harder to do business in Texas. The bills create barriers for Texas businesses to attract and keep good employees if they must comply with discriminatory state laws that harm them or their families. There are multiple paths for these bills to move forward, and we are using every resource we have with every person we know to stop them.

As we saw from the 2017 bathroom bills, efforts to discriminate in Texas garner national, and even global, attention. Business leaders from the technology sector and international corporations called on Texas and other states to fight anti-LGBTQ legislation. Numerous studies estimated Texas would lose billions if it passed the discriminatory legislation proposed in Texas in 2017 (SB6 and HB 2899).

• The Texas Association of Business estimated potential losses as high as $8.5 billion, risking 185,000 jobs
• An independent economist estimated Texas would lose $5.6 billion
• Tourism organizations Visit San Antonio and San Antonio Area Tourism Council determined Texas stood to lose $3.3 billion
• Event planners threatened to cancel major conventions and meetings in the state’s four largest cities, with an estimated impact of $407 million in lost short-term revenue alone
• Potential to lose the 2018 NCAA Final Four, as well as other future sporting events and championships

HRC has seven field organizers and four offices across Texas who work to mobilize opposition to any anti-LGBTQ legislation.

HRC has staff on the ground and four volunteer steering committees in Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio and Austin. HRC continues to work alongside Equality Texas, ACLU of Texas, Texas Freedom Network, the Transgender Education Network of Texas, Lambda Legal, and others on the ground to battle against dangerous or harmful bills that attack the dignity of LGBTQ+ Texans. As a coalition, we will stand together; we will support and comfort one another, and we will continue to work together until we defeat every bill this session that discriminates against LGBTQ+ Texans.

More about HRC's work in Texas:

• Get the facts on SB29
• Letter from national educator and counselor groups opposing anti-LGBTQ legislation
• Letter on cynical attempts to use women's athletics to support anti-LGBTQ legislation
• LISTEN: Anti-LGBTQ extremist's robo-call in favor of anti-LGBTQ legislation
• Fact vs. fiction on anti-transgender legislation
• Letter to Speaker Straus on child welfare in adoption and foster care
• Letter from national child welfare organizations opposing the discriminatory HB3859