EQUALITY TEXAS

Senate Bill 14 spurred protests that led to altercations with state police last week. A majority of Texas House members support the legislation, and the Senate has already passed a version of the bill.

With six weeks remaining in the legislative session, advocates implored Texans to join the “resistance” against fast-moving efforts to curb health care, drag queens, education, trans athletes and more.

Spurred by a groundswell of far-right support, the Texas Senate has passed all of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s priority LGBTQ bills — and then some. What the House does next will impact queer Texans’ lives and could determine Speaker Phelan’s future.

Students and First Amendment lawyers say President Walter Wendler’s portrayal of drag shows is off base and the cancellation violates free-speech rights.

Texas Freedom Caucus asked Attorney General Ken Paxton to weigh in on school board association’s guidance for navigating complex issues related to transgender youth.

Republicans are backing legislation targeting gender-affirming care for children, classroom lessons about sexuality and drag shows.

After a Supreme Court document leak shook the nation, fears are mounting about potential reversals of other decisions by the high court.

Advocates say pushback against those targeting transgender children is growing as similar efforts to those in Texas and Florida are spreading across the country.

Some experts doubt that classifying gender-affirming care as child abuse would hold up in court, but families still feel targeted by Gov. Greg Abbott’s new order

Advocates for the LGBTQ+ community say they are fighting to keep transgender children from losing their ability to participate in sports at school and fighting a number of anti-LGBTQ+ bills in the Texas Legislature.

Transgender Texas children, their parents, medical groups and businesses have vocally opposed many of the bills lawmakers are pursuing.

One Texas bill is similar to others filed across the country that are characterized by conservative advocates as trying to maintain fairness in women’s sports. Idaho passed a law last year called the “Fairness in Women’s Sports Act.” In Montana, a similar bill, called the “Save Women’s Sports Act,” advanced to the state Senate this week. AdTexas lawmakers have tried to limit school sports for transgender students before. Charles Evangelista, a transgender man and student at the University of North Texas, was in high school when lawmakers debated the so-called bathroom bill. Disclosure: Equality Texas, Texas A&M University, the University of Houston and the University of North Texas have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors.

SAN ANTONIO A local equality group called Monday's Supreme Court decision against LBGTQ+ discrimination in the workplace a step in the right direction. I think this is a step forward, said Equality Texas CEO Ricardo Martnez, referring to the 6-3 Supreme Court vote, which ruled that a 1964 civil court decision barring workplace discrimination for various reasons, including race and gender, must also extend to sexual orientation. Supreme Court says gay, transgender workers protected by lawMany say the ruling offers unprecedented protection to members of the LGBTQ+ community nationwide. And days ago, the Department of Health and Human Services rolled back transgender health care protections put in place while former President Barack Obama was in office. Equality Texas, along with its coalition partners, is working on trying to pass a comprehensive nondiscrimination law that protects LGBTQ+ people in currently unprotected areas.

AUSTIN, Texas – Equality Texas, the largest statewide organization that works to secure equality for LGBTQ Texans, released a new report Wednesday that details the state of equality for those individuals. The organization said despite this, some LGBTQ Texans are still struggling to access their right to vote. Equality Texas said it is supporting Senate Bill 151, House Bill 244 and House Bill 254, which are comprehensive nondiscrimination bills that have been filed in the Texas Legislature. To access the full report by Equality Texas, click here. To see Equality Texas’ new conference, click on the video below.