Texas legislators are preparing to move forward on a directive similar to North Carolina’s “bathroom bill," and it's not coming without a fair amount of heat from the left.
State Rep. Chris Paddie of the state's 9th District has introduced an amendment to the Senate version of a school emergency bill, S.B. 2078, which will require public school students to use the restrooms designated for their biological sex.
Most believed the Texas “bathroom bill” was dead after S.B. 6 failed to pass the state House of Representatives ealier this year. However, Paddie’s amendment, which addresses the same major issue as the original bill, made it through the Texas House on May 21.
The amendment responds to an Obama-era Department of Education guidance issued last May that threatened to pull federal Title IX funding from public schools that don't allow students to use whatever bathroom corresponds to their preferred gender. The Trump administration rolled back this action in February.
Contrary to arugments from the LGBT community, Paddie argues his bill isn't discriminatory because it still allows students who identify as the opposite sex to use gender-neutral facilities. Paddie argues that the measure ensures that “there are reasonable accommodations for all children.”
LGBT groups, on the other hand, are accusing Paddie of discrimination against transgendered children. One such group, Equality Texas, said in a call to action on May 22, "These laws target some of the most vulnerable children in our state and are abhorrent, shameful, and disgraceful.”
Rep. Joe Moody agrees, saying on Monday, “I believe this bill takes us back to 1954, back to Brown vs. Board.”
Of course, liberal celebrities have echoed this outrage. Last month, LGBT activists slammed Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick after he called for the passage of the state's original bathroom bill. This spurred some Hollywood elites, including Lady Gaga and Lena Dunham, to sign an open letter to the state of Texas arguing against the bill.
“We are watching,” the letter reads, “It is up to us to commit to doing everything within our power to make sure all of our fans, crews, and fellow artists feel safe and welcome, wherever we go.”
The underlying message is clear: Pass this bill and we’ll pull our events out of Texas just like we did in North Carolina. (After Pat McCrory signed the North Carolina “bathroom bill” in March of 2016, Bruce Springsteen cancelled his concert in Greensboro and the NCAA moved their March Madness events out of the state.)
At the same time, the San Antonio Area Tourism Council released a study claiming that any sort of bathroom legislation would adversely affect the area's economy. However, the local economies of North Carolina seemed to be doing just fine up until the recent repeal of its bathroom bill.