Hey Reader - it's Texas legislative season! And you know what that means ... lots of anti-LGBTQ+ bills.

According to Equality Texas's bill tracker, there are more than 200 anti-LGBTQ+ bills runnin' wild through the Capitol right now. And lots of those have to do with gender stuff, transgender adults, and trans kids.

I know that's scary.

The good news is that the legislative system is designed to "kill" bills.

So not all of them will make it to a committee hearing, be voted out of committee, get to the chamber floor, pass both floor votes, do the whole thing all over in the other chamber, then go to the governor's desk to be signed into law.

And there are lots of stops along the way to take action - contacting your reps, dropping cards at the Capitol, testifying, or lending moral support to those who are testifying!

For example, I was at the Capitol a couple of weeks ago to testify on 2 bills in the House State Affairs committee, and one of my kiddos came along. My action was to testify, but my kid chose not to and just hung out with me and other advocates for moral support. We also made sure to drop cards to register our position on bills being heard in other committees that day.

I can barely keep track of my own schedule, much less 200+ bills, so that's why you haven't heard much from me this session (plus traveling plus family stuff plus covid - oh my!).

My very best advice is to follow the organizations already doing the work of tracking these nasty bills and coming up with actions you can take.

I've noticed that it's kind of a triage situation - there's no way everyone can show up for every single bill. At this point in the session, they are coming fast and furious and not in a movie franchise kind of way.

So below are my faves to follow for all things Texas lege. Get on their email lists, follow them on social media, share their info.

Top picks

Equality Texas My very fave. Resources include: Bill tracker, action alerts via text, helpful and hopeful weekly newsletter, trainings, social events, and more. Excellent communication. Website

Transgender Education Network of Texas Resources: Action alerts via social media, email updates, bill tracker, parent resources. Website

Texas Freedom Network Organizing Texans on progressive issues: LGBTQIA+ equality, public education, religious freedom, and reproductive rights (so they're busy this session!). Great trainings and action alerts. Website

Texas Freedom to Read Project Parent-led group fighting for student rights and against censorship and book bans in Texas. Actions on state and local levels, especially school districts. Tons of sign-on letters, petitions, news, and action alerts. Website

ACLU of Texas The ACLU of Texas works with communities, at the State Capitol, and in the courts to protect and advance civil rights and civil liberties for every Texan. So you can bet your bottom dollar that they're busy during the lege session. Lots of great news, actions, and trainings, particularly on knowing your rights in various situations (protests, with immigration officials, voting, students in schools). Website

Those'll get you started. Let me know if you have other favorites!

Mandy Giles​
Founder, Parents of Trans Youth​

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​www.parentsoftransyouth.com​

p.s. Texas is a big ol' place, so there's no way I can know everything that's going on. If you'd like me to include your Texas event or action item supporting the trans community in a future email, just reply to this email or drop me a line. The more, the merrier!

p.s.s. Click here to get on the Houston-area email list.

2808 Caroline St. #103-G, Houston, TX 77004
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