Tag Archives: transgender rights

A warning from North Carolina

Posted on January 22, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Are we listening? A North Carolina mayor issued a warning Thursday to Texas lawmakers concerning Senate Bill 6, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick’s anti-transgender bathroom bill. Greensboro Mayor Nancy Vaughan said a similar law in the Tarheel State — House Bill … Continue reading →

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Paxton courts the business lobby

Posted on January 19, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Not sure what to make of this. Making his case for the “bathroom bill” to Texas business leaders, Attorney General Ken Paxton said Tuesday that Senate Bill 6 would have a narrow focus, and he urged them to listen to … Continue reading →

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The GLSEN 2015 National School Climate Survey

Posted on January 17, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

A lot of the stuff we talk about when we discuss Dan Patrick’s bathroom bill is business – the opposition from businesses, the political ramifications of a GOP/business schism, the economics of the bathroom bill, etc etc etc. But schools … Continue reading →

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It’s all bathrooms, all the time

Posted on January 16, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

People are paying attention to Dan Patrick’s anti-LGBT bathroom bill, and for the most part they do not like it. In early February, the Super Bowl will be in Houston and in late March, the women’s Final Four will be … Continue reading →

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Feds officially file appeal in transgender bathroom directive lawsuit

Posted on January 12, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

This may be the last stop. With two weeks left, the Obama administration has asked a federal appeals court to throw out a lower court’s decision that suspended policies designed to protect transgender people’s access to restrooms — a sign … Continue reading →

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Business really doesn’t want a bathroom bill

Posted on January 10, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Because this can’t be said enough. Texas business leaders are gearing up for a fight with state lawmakers over Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s push to bar transgender Texans from bathrooms tied to their gender identity. Business groups vehemently oppose the … Continue reading →

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This fight feels different

Posted on January 9, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The more I read about the forthcoming fight between Dan Patrick and his minions and everyone else over the bathroom bill, the more I am struck by the thought that we have never seen anything quite like this before in … Continue reading →

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Patrick plunges ahead with his potty bill

Posted on January 6, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Brace yourselves. After months of sparring over whether transgender Texans should be allowed to use bathrooms that align with their gender identity, Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Thursday officially set the legislative stage for the debate. Following North Carolina’s … Continue reading →

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Transgender health directive halted

Posted on January 2, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

One last kick in the rear from the annus horribilis that was 2016. A Texas judge issued an injunction Saturday against a federal mandate aimed to protect transgender people, finding that the federal health rule violates existing law. The preliminary … Continue reading →

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Another take on the potty drama

Posted on December 29, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Ross Ramsey plunges in, and no I don’t regret that at all. Gov. Greg Abbott wants lawmakers to take a bathroom break, and you can’t blame him for trying to find relief. The next legislative session hasn’t even started and … Continue reading →

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Fighting the bathroom bill

Posted on December 20, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

It will take all hands on deck. During a panel discussion hosted by the Houston GLBT Political Caucus, [Sen. Sylvia] Garcia suggested that lawmakers should concentrate on issues like education funding and the state’s ongoing child welfare crisis. “It’s a … Continue reading →

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Abbott says something about bathrooms

Posted on December 14, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Typically wishy-washy of him. Gov. Greg Abbott is adopting a wait-and-see approach about anticipated legislation that would prohibit transgender people in Texas from using the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity. “I have not seen any proposed legislation yet,” … Continue reading →

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It’s just school bathrooms Dan Patrick really cares about

Posted on December 10, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

So claims a surrogate, who may have been floating a trial balloon. An incoming state senator suggested Thursday that Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick will focus on schools, not businesses or sporting venues, as he crafts an already controversial proposal to … Continue reading →

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More on the cost of a bathroom bill

Posted on December 7, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Whatever one thinks of the Texas Association of Business, you have to hand it to them for their lobbying focus on the great potty issue. With the legislative session just weeks ahead, the Texas business community is digging in its … Continue reading →

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Straus not very excited about Patrick’s potty bill

Posted on November 30, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Take this for what it’s worth. Texas House Speaker Joe Straus doesn’t think passing a transgender bathroom bill is a pressing issue state lawmakers need to address during the 2017 legislative session. “This isn’t the most urgent concern,” Straus, R-San … Continue reading →

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Two more lawsuit updates

Posted on November 28, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The ban on the transgender bathroom rule remains in place pending appeals. Continued lack of access in public schools to bathrooms matching transgender persons’ gender identity won’t cause them irreparable harm, a Texas federal judge has ruled. U.S. District Reed … Continue reading →

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How much is that bathroom bill worth to you, Danny?

Posted on November 7, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Is it worth $8.5 billion and 185,000 jobs? The Texas economy stands to lose $8.5 billion and 185,000 jobs if anti-LGBT legislation passes in next year’s session, according to an analysis from the Texas Association of Business, the state’s chamber … Continue reading →

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Business owners tell Dan Patrick to back off on bathrooms

Posted on October 27, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

More like this, please. Saying Texas Republican leaders are threatening jobs and the economy, more than 200 small-business owners issued an open letter Tuesday urging legislators to abandon plans for a state law targeting transgender bathrooms. The letter described “a … Continue reading →

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Feds to appeal transgender bathroom directive

Posted on October 22, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) plans to appeal a Texas judge’s injunctionbarring the Obama administration from implementing guidelines aimed at protecting transgender students against discrimination. DOJ attorneys announced in court documents Friday that they’ll file formal notice that … Continue reading →

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Dan Patrick doesn’t care about sexual assault

Posted on October 14, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Such a moral exemplar you are, Danno. Amid a wave of reports of women alleging Donald Trump kissed or groped them without their consent, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrickmaintained Thursday that the Republican presidential nominee has effectively pushed the issue behind … Continue reading →

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How anti-business does Dan Patrick have to be for businesses to oppose him?

Posted on October 4, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

I remain skeptical that there is such a threshold, but if one does exist, the next legislative session will test it. The Texas Association of Business (TAB) has formally come out against discriminatory anti-LGBT legislation, including so-called “bathroom bills.” The … Continue reading →

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ACLU intervenes in transgender health care suit

Posted on September 24, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Good for them. The ACLU and ACLU of Texas are getting involved in a lawsuit over a regulation in the Affordable Care Act. In August, Texas filed a lawsuit against federal regulations that prohibit healthcare discrimination against people who are … Continue reading →

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ACC makes it three

Posted on September 16, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

So long, North Carolina. Just two days after the NCAA announced they were moving scheduled tournaments out of North Carolina in protest of the state’s anti-LGBTQ House Bill 2, the Atlantic Coast Conference—which includes North Carolina’s biggest Division I programs … Continue reading →

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Patrick whines about NCAA decision to pull events from North Carolina

Posted on September 15, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Poor baby. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick criticized the NCAA on Tuesday for its decision to pull seven of its championship events from the state of North Carolina. The action came after North Carolina passed a law regulating the use … Continue reading →

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NCAA removes all championship games for 2016 and 2017 from North Carolina

Posted on September 13, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Actions, they have consequences. Based on the NCAA’s commitment to fairness and inclusion, the Association will relocate all seven previously awarded championship events from North Carolina during the 2016-17 academic year. The NCAA Board of Governors made this decision because of the cumulative actions taken … Continue reading →

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Paxton’s dinner with the Briggle family

Posted on September 7, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

So he did go, and he managed to behave himself. Lots of preparation led up to the moment, but Amber and Adam Briggle still exchanged nervous looks when their doorbell rang about 6:30 p.m. Thursday. “I was terrified,” Amber Briggle … Continue reading →

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Paxton encourages schools to discriminate against transgender students

Posted on August 29, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From the ACLU of Texas: [Friday], the ACLU of Texas issued a letter to Texas school districts outlining their ongoing legal responsibility to provide transgender students access to educational opportunities and school facilities on the same basis as all other … Continue reading →

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Paxton says he will meet with transgender child’s family

Posted on August 28, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a start, I guess. Attorney General Ken Paxton has pledged to meet with the Denton family of a transgender boy, even as his office continues its legal fight against federal school bathroom guidelines that the family supports. Paxton was … Continue reading →

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Superintendent Carranza on bathroom access

Posted on August 26, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

This is what I like to see and hear. The new HISD superintendent, Richard Carranza, did not discuss specifics but certainly signaled an open-minded approach to the issue of which restrooms students should be allowed to use. “I think, you … Continue reading →

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Paxton continues his war on transgender people

Posted on August 24, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

This is just ugly. Ramping up its fight over the rights of transgender people, Texas filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the federal government over a regulation prohibiting discrimination against transgender individuals in some health programs. Texas, on behalf of Franciscan … Continue reading →

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Preliminary injunction granted in transgender bathroom directive case

Posted on August 23, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Ugh. A federal judge in Fort Worth has blocked Obama administration guidelines directing the nation’s public schools to allow transgender students to use bathrooms and other facilities that align with their gender identity. In a 38-page order released Sunday, U.S. … Continue reading →

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“Just Like Every Other Kid”

Posted on August 15, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From the Observer: Texas’ child welfare apparatus is in a shambles. Zika virus threatens to put some of our most vulnerable in danger. Low oil prices have fiscal leaders worried about the future of the state’s budget. State lawmakers are … Continue reading →

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No ruling yet in potty lawsuit

Posted on August 13, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

We should get one soon, at least as far as the request for an injunction goes. U.S. District Court Judge Reed O’Connor did not issue a ruling from the bench after an almost two-hour long hearing during which state attorneys … Continue reading →

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Transgender rights are about more than bathrooms

Posted on August 12, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

There’s also drivers licenses. A Texas appeals court ruled last week that a transgender man isn’t entitled to change the gender marker on his driver’s license from “female” to “male.” However, LGBT legal experts say they don’t expect the decision … Continue reading →

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