Texans from all sides of the political spectrum are testifying at the State Capitol on controversial legislation this session.
Conservative groups such as Protect Texas Kids, the Texas Family Defense Committee, and MassResistance Texas are lobbying for bills that ban pediatric gender modification and remove sexually inappropriate books from public school libraries.
Tracy Shannon, MassResistance Texas director, expressed concern for children being harmed by chemicals and surgeries and inappropriate books in school. Meanwhile, Equality Texas, the Transgender Education Network of Texas, Texas Freedom Network, ACLU of Texas, Lambda Legal, and the Human Rights Campaign held the 2023 All in for Equality Advocacy Day at the Texas Capitol.
Ricardo Martinez, CEO of Equality Texas, spoke out against the 139 anti-LGBTQ bills filed this year, highlighting that there are also over a hundred good bills filed. Martinez urged lawmakers to listen to the LGBTQ community’s concerns amidst the hateful rhetoric and anti-LGBTQ extremism.