Four-tenths of one percent. That’s the estimated percentage of transgender individuals in Texas. Not even a whole percent. Four-tenths. Yet Texas legislators have been falling all over themselves the last few legislative sessions to come up with new ways to attack the trans community. So why should anyone be surprised that this year isn’t any different?
Except one state Republican rep this year has managed a twist I don’t think anyone saw coming—making being transgender a felony. A bill has been filed to make identifying as transgender to a government entity or employer a state-level felony with up to two years in jail and a $10,000 fine. And here I was thinking the FURRIES Act would be the star this year. Silly me.
But what’s the big deal? The federal government has already declared there are only two genders. Just pick one. Provided it’s the “correct” one. Ignore the fact that you’ve transitioned. Ignore that you’ve finally found a moment in your life when you’re living as your authentic self. None of that matters. Or are you just looking to be a felon?
While everyone is saying the bill is unlikely to pass, stranger things have happened. For God’s sake, this country elected a convicted felon to run it. Texas legislators turning being transgender into a felony wouldn’t be that big of a leap. We certainly have a governor desperate for approval who would sign it, and an attorney general with zero ethics who would defend it.
Time and again, the state has sued Democrat-led administrations, claiming government overreach, spending millions of taxpayer dollars that could be used elsewhere (say, for better schools). But apparently, no one needs to be up in Texas’ business except Texas. And we know how much Texas enjoys worrying about everyone’s bits and baubles.
But where does this end? Who’s next? As a business owner, am I potentially aiding and abetting a felon when I hire someone who is transgender? Does this mean I go to jail as well? What’s my liability when they don’t mark the “correct” gender and I overlook that, as I should? I suppose that’s a whole new set of questions to run by my business insurer.
However, I’m not one of the estimated 123,000 transgender Texans. I’m not a transgender business owner or professional. I don’t have a child who is part of the transgender community. I am, though, a member of the queer community. And if Texas lawmakers can suppress the trans community with bills like this, they can certainly go after the rest of us.
As much as the current legislation doesn’t concern me directly, it concerns me. As it should anyone else who calls themselves queer. Legislators have made it clear they don’t care about spending money on education—otherwise, Texas would be ranked higher than 46th in public school spending. Or about allowing parents to choose what their children should or shouldn’t read. Or about keeping guns away from the crazies shooting students.
But no one minds blowing millions of taxpayer dollars to defend discriminating against transgender individuals—because we already have. Every new anti-trans bill that is signed will be challenged in court, the same as the laws before it. And more money will be flushed down the drain as Texas tries to defend state-level bigotry.
Perhaps that should be the real felony.
