Lawmakers in Texas have introduced 17 anti-LGBTQ+ bills for 2023.
Content warning: this story includes topics that could make some readers uncomfortable.
A range of the bills have targeted LGBTQ+ people since Monday (14 November), which marked the beginning of when legislators could submit new bills for the next session.
Suggested revisions to child abuse law would criminalise parents and hospitals for helping children access gender-affirming healthcare as felony abandonment of a child.
Punishment for this can be up to 20 years in prison.
There is also a move to limit drag performances, by including the art-form in the legal definition of ‘sexually oriented material’.
This would effectively ban drag at all venues which admit children, even if children aren’t attending the performances.
Legal experts have warned that this could be interpreted as a ban on all trans performers, due to how the bill defines drag.
Another bill wants to ban LGBTQ+ content in classrooms before fifth grade, similar to Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill earlier this year.
Greg Abbott, Texas Governor, has previously ordered investigations into parents that allow their children to access transition-related medical care. This was later blocked by a court.
The Attorney General for Texas, Ken Paxton, has stated that he is “willing and able” to defend a ban on same-sex intimacy if it came to a Texas court.
Texas Democrat Rafael Anchía tweeted in response to the bills, ending with a call to action: “Buckle up & get ready for the fight.”
On the first day of #TXLege bill filing, ALREADY 17 bills targeting #LGBT Texans (including bans on gender-affirming care, college sports participation, LGBT-inclusive education, & one bill criminalizing drag shows.)
Buckle up & get ready for the fight. #YallMeansAll pic.twitter.com/amgSXOoczO
— Rafael Anchía (@RafaelAnchia) November 15, 2022
Texas has become a major site of divisive LGBTQ+ rights in law.
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