Washington, D.C. — Center for American Progress Vice President of the LGBT Research and Communications Project Laura E. Durso issued the following statement on news reports that Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is calling for S.B. 6—a transgender discrimination bill similar to North Carolina’s H.B. 2—to be voted on in a special session of the Texas legislature. Transgender people throughout the country report having experienced harassment, and 85 percent of transgender Texans have experienced harassment because of the their gender identity or expression and 46 percent have experienced physical assault.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is reaching for new lows in his crusade to discriminate against his own transgender constituents. S.B. 6 is state-mandated discrimination designed not only to ban transgender people from bathrooms but also to push them out of public life by making it impossible for them to go to work, school, or a restaurant with dignity. This cruel piece of legislation is opposed by voters, families, and businesses across the state. They recognize that North Carolina’s bathroom ban, H.B. 2, was an unmitigated disaster for the state’s economy, reputation, and transgender residents. They have written to their representatives, flooded the phone lines, told their stories, and made clear that they want Texas to stay open to transgender residents and open for business. Yet Texas is going down the exact path as North Carolina—including convening a costly special session on taxpayers’ dime—to ram through a legalized form of discrimination. Instead of calling a special session on S.B. 6, Governor Greg Abbott should listen to his constituents, learn from North Carolina, and let a bad bill die.
For more information on this topic or to speak with an expert, contact Tom Caiazza at [email protected] or 202.481.7141.