The Texas House of Representatives has voted tonight (Thursday, Oct. 14) to voted to advance anti-transgender House Bill 25, which would ban transgender students in grades K-12 from competing on school athletic teams aligned with their gender identity.

The bill, which passed the house on a 76-54 vote, now goes to the Texas Senate where it is expected to pass quickly and easily before being sent to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk to be signed into law.

While UIL already has rules requiring that students participating in school sports play on teams based on the gender marked on their birth certificates, although UIL rules do recognize legally modified birth certificates. HB 25 squashes even that narrow hope for trans athletes in Texas’ public schools.

Following are statements that have been issued in response to tonight’s vote:

State Rep. Jessica Gonzalez, representative of District 104 in Dallas and vice chair of the House LGBTQ Caucus:
“After seven committee hearings this year regarding UIL sports participation, Texas Republicans ignored the overwhelming plea from transgender children and families to not pass a bill directly attacking their ability to participate in school sports with their classmates. Despite being unable to provide even one real example of a transgender child participating in sports affecting a cisgender woman, Republicans were determined to extend their culture war to our schools and children’s sports teams.
“As a proud Democratic member of the Texas House, my opposition to discriminatory legislation like HB 25 remains unequivocal, and I am grateful to my Democratic colleagues that fought alongside me today. I want all transgender children to know you have allies in the Texas House that will continue to stand up for you.”

Adri Perez, policy and advocacy strategist at the ACLU of Texas: :
“Texas lawmakers voted today to deliberately discriminate against transgender children. Excluding transgender students from participating in sports with their peers violates the Constitution and puts already vulnerable youth at serious risk of mental and emotional harm.
“There is no evidence that transgender kids pose any threat. It is indefensible that legislators would force transgender youth and their families to travel to Austin to defend their own humanity, then blatantly ignore hours of testimony about the real damage this bill causes. Trans kids and their families deserve our love and support — they’ve been fighting this legislation for months. Texans will hold lawmakers accountable for their cruelty.”

Texas Freedom Network Political Director Carisa Lopez:
“HB 25 could have a number of devastating consequences, not only for transgender children but the transgender community as a whole. This bill is a clear example of the Texas Legislature’s government overreach and assault on Texans’ rights.
“The state’s special sessions have been an excuse for Texas Republicans to bulldoze their way through inhumane legislation — sacrificing the rights of women, transgender children and people of color. Texans deserve better than legislative leaders who bully transgender kids to distract from their own failures. Texas kids deserve better than this. The Legislature should simply let kids play.
“Today is a sad day for those who have worked tirelessly to avoid the passage of HB 25, but the Texas Freedom Network will not quit. We are committed to holding the Texas Legislature accountable for the hate they continue to spew and the lives they put at stake.”

Wesley Story, communications director at Progress Texas:
“Gov. Abbott and Republicans in the legislature are once again using kids as pawns to advance political games. The trans sports ban is a harmful ‘solution’ in search of a nonexistent problem, and even proponents of the bill could not give real life examples of the scenarios they claim they’re trying to prevent.
“That’s because this ban was never about ‘fair competition;’ it’s about stigmatizing a group of kids simply for being different for a few far-right votes in the Republican primaries. Banning transgender youth from athletics is cruel and unfair, and keeps them participating in an essential part of childhood.
“To any trans kids out there, please know that you belong and you are loved — unqualified lawmakers do not get to question your right to exist.”

— Tammye Nash