Wendy Davis: Texas Lawmakers Are Bullying Transgender Youth
Just a couple of weeks ago, as the Texas legislature entered the final days of its legislative session, House lawmakers from both sides of the aisle came together, tearfully, to pledge their support for “David’s Law,” a bill that addresses cyberbullying. Named for a San Antonio teen who took his own life after being bullied, the law would require public schools to establish cyberbullying policies and systems for anonymous reports.
As Republican State Rep. Wayne Faircloth said, speaking in favor of the bill: “It is time to treat each other with respect, and that starts here in this House… We have to set the example here. It’s how we treat each other. It’s how we walk. It’s how we talk. It’s how we listen to seek to understand, to make a difference.”
Just 10 days later, some of those very same lawmakers became the bullies. Their victims? Transgender students in our public school system. This was accomplished by adding language to an amendment to Senate Bill 2078, which focuses on school districts’ “multi-hazard emergency operations plans.” The legislation would add bathroom restrictions that keep transgender students from using school restrooms that match their gender identity — a stated Republican priority.
Nevermind the highly questionable ruling allowing the amendment to attach to SB 2078 (how is this proposal in any way related to addressing a public school’s “multi-hazard emergency operations” plan?) The law reopens Jim Crow-era wounds through an arguably ‘separate but equal’ standard by requiring a transgender student who “does not wish” to use a facility based on “biological sex” to use single-stall restrooms, locker rooms and changing spaces at school.
Read more: http://motto.time.com/4791382/wendy-davis-texas-transgender-bathroom-bill/
