Ahead of an expected vote in the Texas House, LGBTQ+ advocates denounced two bills targeting transgender Texans — part of an onslaught of more than 200 anti-LGBTQ+ bills filed this session.
The two measures — House Bills 229 and 778 — focus on how state agencies define gender and increase the cost of providing health insurance to trans people. Brad Pritchett, interim executive director of Equality Texas, called the legislation a “ tax on trans existence” and part of a broader strategy to erase trans Texans.
”Our community has endured attacks from this legislature before and we’re still here,” Pritchett said during the press conference at the State Capitol on May 9. “We turned pain into power. And together we’ll do it again and we’ll build a Texas where everyone can thrive.”
The two bills were scheduled for a House vote later in the day.
@couriertexas Republicans in the Texas House want a “tax on trans existence.”
