AUSTIN, Texas — Hundreds of LGBTQ+ advocates and allies rallied at the Texas State Capitol on Monday, protesting against bills that could restrict or strip protections away from their community.
The “All in for Equality” coalition organized the event, drawing attention to more than 200 anti-LGBTQ bills filed this legislative session, up from 140 in 2023.
“There is no attorney general’s opinion, or piece of legislation, or executive order that will force us to be anything other than our true, authentic selves,” said Brad Pritchett, interim CEO of Equality Texas.
At the same time, the Senate Committee on State Affairs met at the Capitol to discuss a bill that would protect school employees who refer to students by their biological sex without repercussions.
State Sen. Bryan Hughes, the bill’s author, says it allows public employees to focus on their jobs without worrying about consequences related to gender communication. However, Pritchett says it’s legislation like that that they’re fighting against.
“We’re seeing this uptick in attacks and new and terrible legislation that’s designed to really eliminate people’s ability to exist in public spaces,” Pritchett said.
Bills during this session have ranged from restricting a transgender person’s access to bathrooms to being unable to update legal documentation based on someone’s gender identity. People like Faith Northern, who identifies as queer, says that can really affect people.
“Hurts your self-confidence, your self-esteem as a human, but it also is scary,” Northern said. “It feels really scary to be out in the world, to want to hold hands with my partner, to do anything.”
Northern is also a therapist who largely serves queer clientele. She said that makes them want to fight for their rights even more.
“We’re never gonna go away,” Northern said. “We need to be seen in spaces that are important, that are there for people to feel cared, seen, loved and appreciated.”
Advocates from the ACLU of Texas, Lambda, the Human Rights Campaign, and more agencies were there as well as state representatives, like Rep. Gene Wu (D-Houston) who took to the podium to say the bills their conservative counterparts are trying to push are hypocritical to the values on government intervention.
“We had all these Republicans who said, ‘Government should be small, they shouldn’t tell you what to do, they should leave you alone,'” Wu said. “If it doesn’t hurt anybody else, why the hell are you involved? I don’t know how we got to this place that’s telling us how to think, what to feel, who we can love.”
Pritchett says they’re fighting for rights that not everyone may need, but could be the difference between life or death for another.
“We’re here to remind legislators that we’re Texans too,” Pritchett said. ‘We demand recognition, respect, and protection under the law and we will not stop until we get it.”