{"id":55529,"date":"2017-08-16T00:00:28","date_gmt":"2017-08-16T04:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/texas-house-successfully-halts-anti-trans-legislation-by-ending-gov-abbotts-special-discrimination-session\/"},"modified":"2017-08-16T00:00:28","modified_gmt":"2017-08-16T04:00:28","slug":"texas-house-successfully-halts-anti-trans-legislation-by-ending-gov-abbotts-special-discrimination-session","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/texas-house-successfully-halts-anti-trans-legislation-by-ending-gov-abbotts-special-discrimination-session\/","title":{"rendered":"Texas House successfully halts anti-trans legislation by ending Gov. Abbott’s “special discrimination session”"},"content":{"rendered":"

Texas House successfully halts anti-trans<\/a> legislation by ending Gov. Abbott’s “special discrimination session”<\/b><\/p>\n

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NEW YORK \u2013 <\/strong>GLAAD, the world\u2019s largest LGBTQ media advocacy organization, today praised the Texas House of Representatives for ending Governor Greg Abbott\u2019s \u201cspecial discrimination session\u201d and halting any attempt to pass anti-transgender legislation at the Texas Capitol. <\/strong>After massive backlash by Texans and business leaders, including numerous Fortune 500 companies, Gov. Abbott\u2019s hope to sign a so-called \u201cbathroom bill\u201d in this special session was defeated. Possible anti-trans<\/a> legislation such as Senate Bill 3 would have barred transgender and gender non-conforming Texans from access to restrooms and students from participating in athletics in accordance with their gender identity.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven in these dark times, LGBTQ organizers, business leaders, fair-minded politicians, and allies in Texas and across the country rose up against Gov. Abbott\u2019s outright attempt to place his anti-trans<\/a> agenda ahead of the well-being of the state and its people,\u201d said Sarah Kate Ellis, President and CEO of GLAAD<\/strong>. \u201cThis bill was a solution in search of a problem and would have put trans<\/a> Texans at risk for discrimination and violence. Today\u2019s victory shows what can happen when transgender Americans and their allies stay vigilant and push back against legislation that helps no one and harms many.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gov. Abbott\u2019s so-called \u201cbathroom bill\u201d was opposed<\/a> by the majority of Texans and big businesses across the country<\/a> and could have drained about $3 billion from the state\u2019s economy while putting transgender and gender non-conforming Texans in jeopardy.<\/p>\n

Since the start of this year, GLAAD has been on the ground fighting the onslaught of anti-LGBTQ legislation in Texas. GLAAD coordinated with Equality Texas and Texas Freedom Network this spring to hold numerous \u201cStudents Against Hate<\/a>\u201d rallies on college campuses across the state where Texans came together to share their voice and fight back against the anti-LGBTQ bills being perused at the Texas Capitol. Further, GLAAD has held accountable the many\u00a0anti-LGBTQ groups and activists<\/a>\u00a0who have lobbied for this hateful legislation by sending background information to the media on the anti-LGBTQ history of each organization.<\/p>\n

GLAAD also teamed up with Equality Texas, The Ally Coalition, and more than 160 leading artists, entertainers, and influencers to release an\u00a0open letter opposing anti-LGBTQ bills<\/a>, including the so-called \u201cbathroom bill,\u201d that threatened to harm LGBTQ Texas.<\/p>\n

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August 15, 2017<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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