Following the House State Affairs Committee’s hearing on Texas Senate Bill 8 and Texas House Bill 7, around 100 community people, activists, and state politicians demonstrated at the Texas Capitol on Friday.
Sen. Mayes Middleton, R-Galveston, wrote SB 8, which limits the use of restrooms, locker rooms, and women’s shelters based on biological sex in government buildings, including the University. Middleton proposed the bill because he was concerned that men were increasingly invading areas that have historically protected women’s privacy rights. Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Collin, is the author of HB 7, often known as the Woman and Child Protection Act, which limits who is allowed to supply an abortion-inducing medication.
The demonstration was held in the Capitol’s outdoor rotunda and was organized by the All in for Equality Coalition, which is composed of Lambda Legal and Human Rights Campaign, American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, Texas Freedom Network, and Equality Texas. A group of demonstrators also protested SB 8 by staging a sit-in at one of the Capitol’s women’s restrooms prior to the demonstration. The group held a People’s Hearing following the event to give people who were unable to testify a chance to have their voices heard.
Some participants who signed up to participate stated they were unable to do so because the committee limited public testimony for each item to two hours. Avow Texas director Raven Freeborn stated that although she registered to testify for HB 7, she was not called at the committee hearing.
The truth is that, despite my willingness to testify, Freeborn stated that she and a few other pro-abortion campaigners were not selected to be heard. However, I am aware that the state has the power, so I am using that power to inform you that a ban on abortion is unpopular. They are extremely damaging and ineffectual.
Senate Bill 8 is still waiting in the House State Affairs Committee after passing the Senate. The House State Affairs Committee is still debating HB 7.
UT math lecturer Imogen Montague, who was at the demonstration, stated that SB 8 worries her because, as a transgender woman who teaches at the University, it immediately impacts her.
“Just coming and doing something, even just being there and supporting others for a common cause, felt good,” Montague said.
According to Cameron Samuels, a new student at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, it is crucial to demonstrate, speak, and protest even if SB 8 and other legislation that restricts the rights of trans people are ultimately passed.
According to Samuels, racism and bigotry are based on our incapacity to share our tales because we are the experts on our lived experiences. They want to silence us and take away our stories. However, we dispel those beliefs and challenge those narratives when we share our experiences and provide a more true representation of what it means to be a transgender Texan.
Emily Yemington, who went to the event after graduating from UT in the spring, said this was her first summer of being engaged in politics. She expressed regret for not being more politically active while attending UT and stated it was more simpler than she had anticipated to demonstrate at the Capitol for her beliefs. She did not receive a call to speak, despite having signed up to testify against SB 8.
“Being in Austin and so close to the Capitol is a privilege,” Yemington remarked. It is literally possible to take a bus from campus to the Capitol, thus I would encourage students to do so at some point.
