Moni's TENT Trans Lobby Day Speech

This is the full text of the TENT Trans Lobby Day speech I gave on the north steps of the state capitol building earlier this morning,

***

To Emmett Schelling and the TENT leadership team,  the Texas NASW leadership team, my fellow trans Texans, you Mama and Papa Bears,you citizen lobbyists, friends and allies in attendance.

It is a tremendous honor, blessing and privilege to be standing before you today as we prepare to head into the Pink Dome and lobby our state legislators and senators for our human rights. And since I am the TransGriot. I needed to take a moment to drop your trans history on you before we send you on your way to lobby your state reps and state senators.  

Our job today, citizen lobbyists is very simple. It is to advocate for just laws to get enacted and do our best to ensure that unjust laws don’t pass this session.

So what is a just law versus an unjust law?   As the Rev Dr Martin Luther King so eloquently put it in his 1963 ‘Letter From Birmingham City Jail’, ‘Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust.”

Translation:  if you’re trying to pass laws that denigrate marginalized communities and people you don’t like, it is an unjust law.   If you’re trying to pass laws that uplift people, they are just laws.

I had fun reminding Sen. Lois Kolkhorst and Lt Governor Dan Patrick of that point two years ago. I will continue to drive that point home to any legislator who believes their dry as dust religion gives them the right to oppress and discriminate against people they don’t like..

I’m happily here in the ATX with you a mere 26 days before my 25th transition anniversary on April 4.  I’m also here exactly 20 years to the day I made my first trip to Austin to participate in a trans specific lobby day.   

I’m also doing so with a heavy heart.   Sarah DePalma, one of our trans elders who was the former executive director of TENT’s progenitor organization TGAIN, the Texas Gender Advocacy Information Network, passed away a few weeks ago at age 67   Her memorial service is today. .

She not only was TGAIN’s executive director, she also headed an early national trans rights organization called It’s Time America   She was proudly standing up for our human rights in the late 80’s, 90’s and early 2000’s, and walked these Capitol building halls multiple times.

Sarah was also along with Phyllis Frye one of my activist mentors.   She was standing up for trans rights before I transitioned in 1994. She was a co host on KPFT-FM’s ‘After Hours’ show

As TGAIN’s executive director, DePalma also organized trans lobby days over multiple Texas legislative sessions.   She fought for trans inclusion in lesbian and gay orgs resisting it until Parkinson’s Disease started affecting her in 2005.

We in Texas and the nation are indebted to our transcestor for being a fierce warrior for our community.

DePalma wrote in a 1994 letter a comment that was published by the This Week In Texas LGBTQ magazine that I’m going to remix here  “Transgender people and drag queens cannot be hidden without our cooperation, and we refuse to hide. Get used to it, Texas.”

May we please take time to honor Sarah DePalma by having a moment of silence in her memory? Thank you

It’s roll call time!  What part of the Lone Star State are you peeps from?.  Dallas-Fort Worth-North Texas, where y’all at? East Texas?   The Beaumont-Port Arthur-Orange Golden Triangle? The Rio Grande Valley?  West Texas? The Panhandle? San Antonio? Austin? Central Texas? Houston, are y’all in the house?

Raise your hands if this is the first time you have participated in a trans lobby day or a lobby day of any kind.  

Whether this is your first time or you’re a veteran of these events like me, I want to take the opportunity to thank you for taking time out of your busy lives to let your legislators know that your human rights are precious to you.

There are nearly one million of us TBLGQ Texans in the Lone Star State.   If all of the estimated 930,000 of us were living in our own fabulous rainbow flavored city, we would be the fifth largest city by population in Texas.  It would also be a city that had non discrimination protections for its citizens, something that the unjust SB 15 wants to take away.

And note to all you politicians within and beyond the sound of my voice.   We LGBTQ Texans vote in EVERY election cycle..

As I mentioned, I first ventured to Austin for a trans lobby day in 1999.   The political landscape was different at that time. George W Bush was our governor.   The Texas House had a six seat Democratic edge, and a one seat Republican one in the Texas Senate.

We had a modest goal of getting included in the James Byrd Hate Crimes bill and getting a TGAIN sponsored name change bill passed that would take the name change process out of the Texas court system and make it an administrative process.

While we weren’t successful in doing so in 1999, what we did accomplish was visiting all 150 house offices and all 31 Texas senators despite having about 20 people to do so who were predominately from Houston, San Antonio, and Austin.

Today that torch on the name change legislation has been picked up by Reps Jon Rosenthal with HB 1835, HB 2089 by Rep. Garnet Coleman, and Sen. Jose Rodriguez with SB 154.

We’re also still trying to get included in the Byrd Hate Crime bill, and Rep Coleman has sponsored HB 1513 to make that happen    

One of the things we didn’t have 20 years ago that we do now is the support of many organizations like the Texas chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, PFLAG, Equality Texas, and HRC,

Texas based organizations now exist that advocate for the issues of trans people of color like the Dallas based Black Trans Advocacy Coalition founded by Carter Brown, and the Houston based Organization Latina de Trans in Texas founded by Ana Andrea Molina   

We also have fighting alongside of us the parents of transgender kids that we lovingly call Mama and Papa Bears.   They have been invaluable, along with our trans kids themselves, in dispelling the myths and stereotypes that crop up about trans people, and even getting legislators through their lobbying efforts to change their minds about unjust legislation and pass    

The trans kids have also been some of our best community ambassadors for spreading the word that trans people exist, and that we are an undeniable part of the diverse mosaic of human life.

And everything we are doing here on March 7, 2019 is to ensure that 20 years from now the Kai Shappleys, Libby Gonzales’ and Zuri’s of our state who are in elementary and middle school don’t have to come here to lobby every session for basic human rights coverage.

I want them to be building upon the trans lobbying work we do in our Capitol today. But since I’m still doing this work 20 years later, I won't be surprised if I'm still blessed to be around in 2039 to witness it that I will probably see them doing so on behalf of our community

Yes, Trans Lobby Day is about our trans and gender non conforming kids and making life better for future generations .  Some of what we elders do here we may never reap the benefits of it. But if it does happen for us trans elders sooner than that, that’s all good as well.  

Texas trans kids, here’s a message to you from your Aunt Moni.  I and your trans elders will fight for you with every fiber of our unapologetic trans beings   You are our future. We will do our utmost to make it a great one for you. So dream big, get those good grades, make friends with people who unconditionally love you, and be better quality people than the bullies who irrationally hate on you.

One of the things we also have going for us now we didn’t have in 1999 was the overwhelming support of the business community.   They said it loud and clear in 2017 and before this session started that they see diversity as a core principle of their businesses, and discrimination hurts their bottom line.  

Target and Victoria’s Secret are excellent examples of what I’m talking about here.   Target just reported their best earnings since 2005 and business is booming for them.  Meanwhile a business that went in the opposite direction in Victoria’s Secret is seeing lackluster sales and is  closing 58 stores.

Bigotry costs you money   As North Carolina proved in the wake of the passage of the unjust and transphobic HB 2, it can also cost you convention and hospitality business and sporting events that bring in millions of dollars to your state's economy. .  

We also have increasing support from progressive pastors who have no problem telling the world we trans people are God’s children despite whatever faux faith based anti-trans hate speech Dave Welch, Jonathan Saenz, Steven Hotze and other Texas right wing hate mongers keep putting out there.

I also must give thanks to the people in the social work, education, media and medical communities who unequivocally support our human rights struggle and fight back against the ignorance and attempts to demonize and dehumanize our community.

In closing I want to salute you citizen lobbyists and give you a few pro tips.   Relax, take a deep breath and don’t be scared to talk to your state senators and state reps.  Yes, they reprepresent you here in Austin and have the power to write legislation, but the bottom line is that they still work for you.

Frankly, your legislators and staffers enjoy talking to a constituent who made the effort to come to Austin from their district far more than they do some paid corporate lobbyist with an expense account who is here in the Pink Dome nearly every day    

Know your bill numbers and the basics of what they do when you talk to staffers and legislators so they can be on the alert for them when that bill hits their committee or the floor  They can also tell you where they are in the legislative process as well in their respective chamber.

Please and thank you works, especially in liberal progressive offices that get a constant barrage of nasty calls from our loud and wrong opposition.   Thank them for doing their demanding jobs and being legislative supporters of our TBLGQ community.

And before you leave Austin, take some time to get to know some of your fellow citizen lobbyists here today.  You may make a lifelong friend before this day is over.

Your authenticity is your strength as a citizen lobbyist.  You have a unique story to tell, so tell as much of that story to your reps and the legislative assistants in their offices as you feel comfortable in doing.  

You don’t have to be perfect.   Just be the beautifully human people I know all of you are.  

TENT Trans Lobby Day Today

I'm chilling with my peeps in Austin after a relatively uneventful travel day.  I did have to wait two hours before I got into my hotel room.  I got here at 11 AM, and like my hotel, many of the ATX hotels are packed not only because of the legislative session, but also because SXSW is about to kick off this weekend

So after I grabbed something to eat, I had to kill two hours wandering the downtown streets of Austin.   I happily discovered during my wandering to familiarize myself with the general hotel vicinity there's a 7 Eleven near the hotel.

I'm halfway to my free Slurpee.

I'm here for the TENT Lobby Day, and I'll be speaking before we start heading into the Pink Dome to talk to our legislators.   The registration for the event closed on March 4 with 276 people signaling their intention to be here, so looking forward to seeing if we get more than that.

Also looking forward to seeing our trans family from across the Lone Star State

Our legislators know we're here because we've already made the local ATX news.   It's also interesting for me because it's exactly 20 years to the day I first made the trip to Austin as a rookie citizen lobbyist to participate in my maiden trans lobby day. 

I'm also doing so with a heavy heart because back home in Houston, the private memorial service for Sarah DePalma, the founding executive director of the Texas Gender Advocacy Information Network (TGAIN), and the proto org of TENT, takes place today. 

Our trans elder and my activist mentor died several weeks ago at age 67.

Here's the schedule for today's TENT Lobby Day

8-9 AM - Check in at FUMC Family Life Center (1300 Lavaca St), parking is available in the Capitol garage and will be within walking distance of all events. It is also handicap accessible and so is the FUMC Family Life Center)

9-10:00 AM - Lobby Day Training

10:35 AM - Pick up lunch, walk over to south steps of the Capitol

11:00 AM - TENT Rally

12 PM - Join NASW Rally

1 PM - Lobby Day Visits begin

5 PM - Lobby Day Ends

Hope I'll see as many of you peeps and allies handling your trans human rights business.

Heading To The ATX Again

If you're saying to yourself, 'weren't you just in Austin last week?', you would be correct.   I was there for a quick in an out trip to speak during an Equality Texas press conference on the south steps of the Texas Capitol.

And yeah, got my Slurpee before I headed back to H-town.

This time I'm heading back to Austin to take part in the Trans Education Network of Texas (TENT) trans lobby day that is also cosponsored with the Texas chapter of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW).

This lobby day is happening nearly 20 years to the day I made my first ever Texas lege trans lobby trip in 1999 organized by TGAIN, the forerunner org of TENT.

Same Pink Dome, but a different Texas legislative configuration.   Even Austin is way larger population wise than when I first started coming to lobby the Lege.

We have a long list of good bills to support, but are also concerned about the bad ones like SB 15, that would kill already passed non discrimination ordinances in Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, Plano, Carrollton and El Paso and prevent cities from enacting those laws

We also for the first time have an official Texas LGBTQ Legislative Caucus this session, and looking forward to talking to the members of it in addition to my own state rep and state senator.

My behind is already in bed as you read this because I have a 7:35 AM Megabus departure from downtown Houston to get to our state capitol, and the alarm is set for 5 AM CST

I sure hope the route we're going to take to Austin is via I-10 west to TX 71 because I despise going there via US 290.

Despite our schizophrenic weather lately, the bluebonnets are starting to bloom along TX 71 as well

My ETA there is 10:40 AM, so hope we get there on time.   Once I get there, I'll have the opportunity to catch up with what the Texas Lege is doing and on Thursday see my Texas trans fam from across the Lone Star State. 

Texas Progressive Faith Leaders Hit The ATX

The hate pastors are desecrating the Texas Capitol today trying to browbeat the Texas House and more specifically, the House State Affairs Committee into allowing those legislative abominations SB 3, HB 46 and HB50 have hearings and go to the House floor for a vote.

Um, no.  Dignity and diversity over discrimination.

On Tuesday August 1 an event happened that I have wanted and we have needed to see for years happen in terms of progressive faith leaders showing up and rebuking their loud and wrong pastors.


It was sponsored by Texas Impact, a statewide interfaith advocacy network that was founded in 1973.   The real Christians and progressive faith leaders were at the Capitol to express their opposition to the GOP hate slate and push back against the false Texas Values narrative that all Texas faith leaders support discrimination..

Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders during this Texas Interfaith Lobby Day gathered for a day of events that included a prayer service on the floor of the Texas House, visits to legislators, advocacy training sessions and called for an end to attempts to pass the unjust anti-trans HB 46, HB 50 and SB 3 bills.

They spent this day driving home the message they were #MianstreamNotExtreme.

"Mainstream faith communities affirm the shared values of respect, dignity and welcome for every person,"said Texas Impact Executive Director Bee Morehead.

"Discriminatory legislation that targets individuals based on sex, sexual orientation or gender identity runs counter to Texas values."

Trying to pass that unjust legislation has already cost Texas $66 million in convention business with more in jeopardy as an ever lengthening list of corporate leaders urges the Texas House to just say no to discrimination.

So glad that Texas progressive faith leaders are part of that chorus of righteousness

The All In For Equality Texas Rally Speeches

I got up at 3:30 AM CDT so I could board a bus headed to Austin to participate in the All In For Equality Lobby Day.  I was also tapped to be one of the speakers at the rally happening on the south Texas Capitol steps, and if you wish to hear my comments, they start around the 13;00 minute mark of the video

And here's the link to me, Sara Ramirez and other orators speaking truth to power outside the Texas State Capitol.

Another Week, Another Lobby Day

If it seems like I was just in Austin two weeks ago, yeah I was up along with trans people from across the Lone Star State and our allies giving Lois Kolkhorst hell for pushing the Texas Transgender Oppression Act.

I was there for the Trans Texas Lobby day, but missed the GLBT Caucus one last Monday because frankly, still hadn't adjusted to the time change and was still a bit tired from last week's lobby day plus the marathon State Senate Affairs committee hearing and needed to rest a bit.

Now that I've done so, I'm ready to head back up to the ATX and talk to our reps about stopping SB 6 and other bad anti-TBLGQ bills in addition to explaining why they should support some good bills that will help our community.

Will also take the opportunity to thank in person the Terrific Ten Democratic senators who stood tall for the human rights of transgender Texans.

This one is the Equality Texas All In For Equality Lobby Day, and is also cosponsored by the Transgender Education Network of Texas (TENT) , the ACLU of Texas and the Human Rights Campaign

There's over 900 people registered, and that makes it the largest EQTX lobby day ever.  Definitely beats the days when we would consider more than a dozen people showing up a great lobby event

We're scheduled to be there from 10-4 PM CDT, and proud to rep my hometown and my Black trans fam.

See y'all in a few hours..

The Houston GLBT Caucus Goes To Austin

The Texas Legislature is in session, and those of us whose human rights are being targeted by our GOP majority are making sure they know we're watching what transpires in this legislative session.

At 6 AM CDT this morning the Houston GLBT Caucus along with their partner organizations United We Dream, the Transgender Foundation of America, Women and Allies,  the Iota Chapter of Delta Phi Upsilon, the TransAdvocate, the Greater Houston LGBT Chamber of Commerce, and the Montrose Center got on the bus and headed to Austin.

They are there as you read this to talk about SB 6 and other unjust laws that impact our diverse state and the city of Houston such as racial justice, immigration, economic equity and LGBTQ equality.

They plan to be at the capitol until 7 PM and then head back to Houston.

Best of luck while you're up there and hope that you get to talk to as many of our legislators and state senators as possible.

Headed To ATX For Trans Texas Lobby Day & SB 6 Hearing

Seems like I've been doing this ever since my first one in the 1999 session, but when I arrive at the state capitol in a few hours, this lobbying foray at the Pink Dome will be for much higher stakes.

Trans folks and our allies from across the state will be converging on Autin to make their voices heard to their state legislators.  They will be urging them to #FlushSB6 and other unjust anti-TBLGQ bills and passing pro human rights bills.

The North Capitol steps will also be busy March 6 with a TENT press conference at 11 AM and one with a coalition of business groups at 1 PM condemning SB 6 as a preventable disaster for the Texas economy.

The Trans Texas Lobby is a joint production of TENT (Transgender Education Network of Texas), Equality Texas, ACLU-TX, Texas Freedom Network and HRC and run from 9 AM -6 PM CST on March 6.

SB 6, the unjust Texas Transgender Oppression Act being pushed by Dan Patrick and Lois Kolkhorst, will have a committee hearing tomorrow starting at 8 AM,    This is a job killing bill of the highest order in addition to being one that oppresses a segment of the Texas population.

Here's the Texas state data for the 2015 US Trans Survey has also been released with 1490 Texans recording their responses as part of the largest survey to date of transgender people in the US with 27,715 respondents

Since I'm planning to attend both the Lobby Day and the hearing, that means AX I'll be chilling there and won't leave until after the SB 6 hearing is concluded.

Looking forward to seeing everyone in the ATX a few hours.

Transgender Lobby Day In Austin Today

Heading back to my state capitol for an unprecedented for me third time this session to do what I can to help kill some bad anti-trans bills (HB 2801, HB 2802, HB 1748, HB 1749) and drum up support for the good bills like Rep. Garnet Coleman's HB 2058 

This effort is so important that I'm delaying my trip to Dallas for the BTAC Conference by 24 hours so I can participate.  Last night there was a caucus held in Austin to discuss issues of importance to the Texas transgender community.

In a few hours we hit the Capitol to lobby against the unjust bills by the Discrimination Duo of Pena and Riddle, and for Rep. Coleman's bill that will streamline the process for changing gender markers.

All of the bills in question are in the State Affairs Committee, and for those of you who can't make it to Austin, you can still be agents of your own trans liberation and make calls to your state legislators.

TransGriot Update:  Was trying to fit this Austin lobby trip in before I left for Dallas, and thought the shuttle was leaving from the Montrose Center at 6 AM.    I arrived at the Montrose Center at 5:40 AM.  When I didn't see anyone arrive by 6:30 AM headed to Austin left and returned home.   The shuttle left at 7 AM while I was enroute back home.

Oh well, little upset I'm not in Austin, but did my part to ensure I could be there to represent my community.

Texas Trans Lobby Day Next Week

Trans Texans and our allies will be headed to Austin next Monday for the TransTexas Caucus and Lobby Day to combat four unjust anti-trans bills.  

Two bills by Rep Gilbert Pena (R-Pasadena) seek to not only incentivize kids snitching on and bullying their trans classmates for using the restroom (HB 2801 and 2802), we also have to combat Debbie Does Discrimination Riddle's (R-Tomball) HB 1748 and HB 1749 that seek to criminalize the existence of transpeople in Texas by not only making it a crime for Moni and every trans Texan to go to the restroom, it will penalize organizations and companies that allow us to do so.

This is unacceptable, and all four of those unjust anti-trans bills need to die, especially since they were written in retaliation for Houston and Plano's passage of human rights legislation that protects trans Texans.

There is also a trans bill we can support, and that is Rep. Garnet Coleman's HB 2058. If passed, it would create a statewide standard process for correct gender markers across the Lone Star State.

Rep. Coleman's bill is also in the State Affairs committee.

That's why on Sunday April 26, there will be a caucus held in Austin prior to us hitting the state capitol to discuss issues of importance to the Texas transgender community.  The next day, April 27, we will head to the Pink Dome to lobby against those bills and tell our state legislators why it is a horrible idea and bad for business to legislate discrimination against trans Texans.

You can sign up for the caucus, lobby day or to attend both by clicking this link.

We will also be telling our state legislators why standardizing the process for changing gender markers as HB 2058 would do is good for all Texans.

All four of the anti-trans bills have been assigned to the State Affairs Committee, and HB 2801 has  an upcoming hearing on April 22 before we get to Austin.

So please take a moment to be an agent of our transkids liberation and call your state legislators to urge them to oppose HB 2801 and all the anti-trans bills by Pena and Riddle, and support Rep Coleman's HB 2058.

The lobby day is being organized by the Transgender Education Network of Texas (TENT) and is being co-sponsored by Equality Texas, the Texas Freedom Network, the Transgender Law Center, HRC and several other orgs.

It is so important to me I'm delaying my trip to BTAC by a day so I can attend the lobby day. 

I will be in Austin for the third time this session to stand up for my human rights as a proud trans Texan.  If you can do so, I hope you will join me.   For those of you who live too far away in our ginormous state to make that trip, you can support us by calling or e-mailing your state legislator.

Moni's Excellent Texas Freedom Advocacy Lobby Day

Yesterday I got up at the crack of dawn to make the two hour ride from Houston to our state capitol to join other TBLG Texans in opposing the GOP controlled legislature's attempts to legislate anti-BTLG hatred in the Lone Star State.

After scooping me up at Casa de Monica, TS Williams, Lou Weaver and I made that journey to our state capital and joined over two hundred people from across Texas, student leaders from the Texas Freedom Network, LGBT advocates from Equality Texas,  HRC supporters and volunteers and other concerned Texans for Freedom Advocacy Day in Austin.

While there have been over 20 anti-GLBT bills filed by Teapublican legislators in this 2015 Texas Legislative session, on the plus side there are also 12 pro-TBLG bills that deserved our support.

After TS, Lou and I arrived at the Capitol Visitors Parking garage, we walked across the south capitol grounds , we headed to the First Methodist Church for a training session and our group assignments.   Because I've been coming to Austin since 1999 to do lobbying trips, and was just in the city last month to hit some offices, I was given the responsibility by Cavan O Raghallaigh to lead a lobby team.

After the training by Daniel Williams of Equality Texas, some role playing and lunch, we headed to a noon rally on the north steps of the capitol in which openly gay Rep. Mary Gonzales (D-Clint) and Rep. Ron Reynolds (D-Missouri City) spoke before we headed off to hit our assigned offices.

“When we humanize policy, we create good policy,” Rep. Gonzalez said during the rally. “When we disconnect it from people’s lives, we negatively impact people’s lives. … I know sometimes they are extremely personal, but today is a day to be brave, to share, to not let people not recognize the negative consequences of these laws.”

Before I could do that, a problem developed with my team.  One member couldn't come to Austin, another local member had a meeting she had to attend, and another person who was part of a social justice org got immediately called back to her office.   My team had dwindled down to just me until Heather Ross joined me off the other trans centric team.

Heather and I were tasked with hitting the Pink Dome offices of Sen. Rodney Ellis (D-Houston) , Sen. Sylvia Garcia (D-Houston), Rep. Garnet Coleman (D-Houston)  Rep. Dawnna Dukes (D-Austin), Rep. Rene Oliveira (D-Brownsville) and Rep. Sylvester Turner (D-Houston) to talk about Rep Gilbert Pena's unjust HB 2801, the 'Trans Kids Bounty Bill' that is getting a hearing tomorrow.

All of these reps and senators have seniority, are longtime supporters of the TBLG community, but need varying levels of education on trans issues along with their staffs.  I was a constituent of Sen. Ellis and Rep Coleman until I moved in November.   So I had more than a few personal cards to play as Heather and I walked into these offices.

After clearing security on the east side of the capitol building, we started with Sen. Ellis' office, and Heather and I had a pleasant conversation with his LA Liliane Bedford as we pointed out the problems with HB 2801 and got out initial visit out of the way as we got a feel for each others lobbying styles

Sen. Garcia's office was a few short steps away down the hall, and as we talked in the hallway with Sam Robles, Sen Ellis stopped literally feet away from us talking to another citizen lobbyist..  

Arrgh.  Opportunity lost to talk to him directly.  

But what the lobbying fates take away, they giveth as well.   A few minutes later Sen. Garcia walked up, and I took that moment as Heather continued chatting with Sam to thank the senator for standing up for our human rights this session.

After finishing up with Ms. Robles, it was time to see Rep. Coleman.   But where Sen Ellis and Sen Garcia's offices are in the Capitol building is in what is called 'The Secret Hallway' because you have to cross the senate gallery to get to it from the rest of the capitol

Once we remembered that point from our training, we crossed the Senate gallery and headed to Rep. Coleman''s office

A few minutes into our ,pleasant visit sitting on the patio with a beautiful view of the north capitol grounds and parts of the nearby University of Texas campus, Rep. Coleman walked into the office. I thanked him for continuing to push for the streamlined name and gender change bill, and told him the story of how it took me nine months to get my TDL with the help of his Houston office.   He also made it clear that he didn't want what happened in Indiana repeated in Texas.

Heather and I then headed to Rep. Oliveira's office, and continued to point out to his LA's how this bill was problematic not only to trans schoolkids, but would also impact  ISD's, teachers and administrators before we headed to Rep Dawnna Dukes office.

Because Heather was from Austin, I thought it was better for her to lead on this one.  If any issues came up that were Austin-centric, she'd be better able to answer them than I would be, and we had another pleasant chat with Na'Asiaha Simon.   

Her boss is on the powerful Appropriations Committee and the fiscal argument resonated with her.  Rep. Dukes is also on the State Affairs Committee that the unjust HB 2801 will get a hearing in.

Our final visit happened in Rep Sylvester Turner's office, and Heather and I both had a wonderful time talking to Erica Smiley and Emma Oliver.    They relayed to us that Rep. Turner was concerned about the unjust bills.

Heather and I completed our mission at 3:30 PM, and ran into my ride back to Houston in Brandon Mack and Ashton Woods near the Capitol Rotunda.   After having lunch at a wonderful Cajun place on Rosewood St in East Austin, we headed to the legendary Scholtz Garten to connect with the rest of our fellow lobbyists to hear how their day went and let some of Austin's infamous rush hour traffic on I-35 die down before we headed back to Houston.

Got a feeling I may have to make one more trip to Austin before this session ends.