A petition demanding “an end to ruthless attacks” on trans people in Texas has been signed almost 33,000 times after a new law “could make it illegal to be trans” in the US state.
A recently proposed bill would make it a crime to have a gender identity that differs from one’s sex assigned at birth, referred to as ‘Gender Identity Fraud’. To identify as trans or non-binary would be considered “knowingly making a false or misleading verbal or written statement to a governmental entity or the person’s employer” about one’s biological sex – which would be classified as a felony offence. The penalty for that would be up to two years in jail, as well as a $10,000 fine for simply existing as oneself.
Another bill would ban all gender-affirming medical care – even for adults – stripping away life-saving treatments. According to the the petition “Texas has also begun keeping a list of individuals who update their gender markers on state identification, further enabling state-sponsored discrimination and potential future harm. It refuses to say why it is tracking trans individuals”.
This isn’t the first time Texas has tried to target the trans community. In recent years, the state has banned gender-affirming care for minors, barred trans student athletes from participating in sports, and even launched child abuse investigations into supportive parents. This year alone, nearly 170 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced in Texas.
The petition reads: “Texas lawmakers are escalating their dangerous crusade against trans people, to the point of introducing extreme legislation that would actually criminalise having a trans identity.
“We must take a stand now to stop these attacks before they cause even more harm. Sign and share this petition today to demand that Texas lawmakers stop their relentless assault on trans rights!”
