Texas SB14

This is the Texas Senate bill which I testified on in the capital on April 4th, 2023

Texas Senate Bill was written by the kindhearted and highly informed Senator Donna Campbell. She spent a tremendous amount of time researching around the topics of transition, as well as detransition, gender affirming care, gender dysphoria, and even has some personal life experiences. She is incredibly educated on these topics, and was the right person to write this powerful bill.

Summary of the Bill

From the Texas Legiscan website, “Relating to prohibitions on the provision to certain children of procedures and treatments for gender transitioning, gender reassignment, or gender dysphoria and on the use of public money or public assistance to provide those procedures and treatments.”

Friendly Faces

On April 3rd, 2023, I traveled to Austin, Texas and testified at the capital the next day.

The Texas Capital

While I was there, I met with other beautiful detransitioners, including Soren, a Texas resident who received her gender affirming care in Texas. Soren is an incredible woman with a powerful story of medical malpractice. She watches me testify to become comfortable with the setting and the scene, and was able to testify next time on the House Bill!

Abel Garcia was with us as well. Abel is a detransitioner who was born male, transitioned to female, and has returned to his male sex. His story and honesty are heart-wrenching.

I also got to meet the lovely Senator Donna Campbell herself, and was absolutely thrilled.

Testimony

When it was time to testify, we all gathered on the house floor. There were lots of people in the room, including on the upper levels in the balcony. Among people for and against the bill were a number of priests. I was informed by Soren thought they laughed at me during my testimony.

I testified first. I was nervous, and afraid to be the very first one to speak, but I did it anyway.

Watch my testimony here:

I was asked a series of questions by Senator Donna Campbell and representatives who were for and against the bill. Frequently, representatives tried to make this an issue of parents' rights, and say that the government should not be in the doctor's office with the parents, the doctor, and the child. I remember telling them that no parent has the right to sterilize or mutilate their child. The government has the right to step in when abuse or harm is taking place.

The Bill Passes

Donna Campbell released a final statement on the bill as it passes.

Senator Tom Oliverson is working on the sister bill in the Senate, on which I also testified and also wrote about.

According to Senator Campbell, “Our children need counseling and love, not blades and drugs”

Sources:

Texas Bill:

https://legiscan.com/TX/bill/SB14/2023