Anti-Trans SB 1218 Passes Texas Senate

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If you're wondering why I can't stand Republifools and why I've been posting Daniel Williams' Texas legislative updates since the 2013 session started, it's because Republicans continue to demonstrate a shamelessly inexhaustible ability and desire to oppress people

Knowing that the clock is ticking toward the end of the regular session of the 83rd Texas Legislature, the Republifools have all of a sudden gotten busy trying to pass their anti-TBLG hate legislation before they hit the May 21 deadline dates for when those bills can't be considered by the other chambers.

The Dallas Voice reports that the Texas Senate passed SB 1218 yesterday that takes dead aim at the Texas trans community.   One of the documents you can currently can use to get a marriage license in the Lone Star State is an affidavit of sex change.

Well, no thanks to Texas state Sen. Donna Campbell (R-New Braunfels) and her co-sponsor Sen Jane Nelson (R-Flower Mound) our ability to marry an opposite sex partner in this state may have just taken a hit.   She sponsored SB 1218, which prohibits anyone from obtaining a marriage license with a document that lacks a photo. 

And what document that is on the approved list of those you can use to get a marriage license in Texas fits that criteria?    If you said the affidavit of sex change, go to the head of the class.  Back in the 2011 session Sen Tommy Williams (R-The Woodlands) sponsored SB 723, which only went after the affidavit of sex change and we got the unjust bill killed.

This time the conservafools were sneakier about how they went about their transphobic legislative oppression.   Sen. Campbell claims that her intent was to make people show photo ID before they can get a marriage license, but we heard that same bull feces laden excuse when they passed their voter suppression act in 2011 that got spiked by the DOJ.  

This is another straight up unconstitutional attack on the ability of Texas transpeople to get married to the opposite gender, and yep, Texas has one of those odious anti-same gender marriage amendments contaminating its constitution.

All is not lost Texas trans folks.  The bill has to pass the House Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence Committee and make it on the House calendar before May 21.   Daniel Williams and Equality Texas are watching what's going on in addition to working to slow it down so it misses that deadline and gets killed for the session. 

I'll be keeping an eye on this unjust bill and letting you know if it's time Texas trans community for us to be agents of our own liberation again.

And you peeps that live in Sen Campbell's and Sen Nelson's districts can thank them for their transphobia by voting them out of office.