Texas, Transphobia, and the Myth of Parental Rights

The simple but true motivations for transphobia

4 min read

Just now

Amongst the massive culture war carried out by the right in the last few years against trans people, trans and LGBT kids/youth are among the hardest hit by the right-wing propaganda machine. Back in 2022, the “Don’t Say Gay” bill in Florida prohibited discussions around gender and sexuality in school classrooms, and it appears that Texas has now put forth its own draconian version of this bill.

In June, Texas Governor Gregg Abbot signed the “Bill of Parental Rights”, also known as Senate Bill 12 (SB12), which bans discussions surrounding sexuality, LGBT identity, and race in Texas classrooms. The bill bars teachers from “assisting” the social transitioning of trans kids, although it’s very vague in its definitions, which has prompted some school districts to enact policies to prevent teachers from using trans students’ pronouns or new names — even when their parents ask the school to do so.

Social transitioning is when trans people adopt new names/pronouns to correspond with their true identity, as well as wear specific clothes, haircuts, etc, that correspond with their gender identity.

Other states have proposed near-total bans on social transitioning, such as Missouri in Senate Bill 1085, which was…