That day I testified at the Texas Capitol to protect trans kids

Yesterday I stepped WAY out of my comfort zone and testified in front of the Texas Senate State Affairs Committee in opposition to Senate Bill 29.  This bill bans trans youths’ access to sports by requiring K-12 youth to participate in UIL sports according to the gender on their birth certificate.

I cannot imagine a world in which children would be subjected to humiliating accusations or investigations of their “original” birth certificate.  And the real possibility of outing a child is horrific. Coming out (or not) is a very personal and private decision, certainly for LGBTQ kids but also for their families, and forced disclosure can put trans kids at risk for discrimination, mental harm, and violence.

I’m glad I took a leap of faith and used my voice and experience (and a very timely stay in Austin) to speak against this bill. My heart was pounding, my mouth was dry, and my hands were shaking up until I walked to the podium, but once I started speaking, I looked those senators in the eyes let them know what was important to me.

I found support and guidance in the coalition of others who opposed this bill, particularly folks with Equality Texas, Transgender Education Network of Texas, and Texas Rising. Gathering together to “hurry up and wait” all day with others who want to protect trans kids was the highlight of the day. Thrown together by circumstance, our small group of first-time testifiers stuck together, including a gay sociology student from San Antonio, a mom and trans son from Corpus Christi, a gay reverend from Houston, and yours truly. We all had different stories but bonded together over our common goal. And having Beto O’Rourke saying he liked my testimony and giving me a fist bump was pretty cool, too.

Me and Beto

Make no mistake – we are in the middle of a nationally-coordinated attack against LGBTQ people, specifically transgender kids. There are currently 286 anti-LGBTQ bills filed in 36 states. Of these bills, 127 are specifically anti-trans. Of those, 60 are intended to ban transgender youth from playing sports, 36 deny transgender youth from best-practice medical care, and the rest limit transgender people from accessing restrooms, necessary ID documents, and more.  In Texas, 32 anti-LGBTQ bills have been filed for the 2021 legislative session. 13 of those specifically target trans kids: 6 banning trans kids from sports, 6 banning affirming medical care, and 1 prohibiting any minor from amending their birth certificate to match their gender identity. TARGETING KIDS. A comprehensive list of anti- and pro-LGBTQ legislation (yes! there are a handful of good bills) from Equality Texas can be found here (thank you to ETX for the stats above).

Here’s my (limited to 2 minutes) testimony:

Good afternoon. My name is Mandy Giles. I’m here today representing the Houston chapter of PFLAG. I’m also the mother of 3 children, 2 of whom are transgender.

PFLAG provides support, education, and advocacy to LGBTQ individuals, their family members, and allies. We believe that ALL children should be valued by society and deserve to be safe.

This transgender sports ban is in direct opposition to everything that PFLAG stands for.  By excluding transgender children from the simple childhood activity of playing team sports, this bill harms trans youth and singles them out for bullying and harassment.

Two of my children were on their karate team at school. Being on this team taught them discipline, hard work, leadership, and most of all, a sense of belonging.  They loved their coach and teammates and would have been devastated if they were told that they didn’t belong – they couldn’t participate – just because of who they are.

Trans kids just want the freedom to participate in team sports like everyone else.

I have seen firsthand the pain and distress in my transgender children when they are not treated equally. I have seen the anguish of parents coming to PFLAG after their child attempted suicide because their true gender was not recognized.

Trans children are killing themselves because they’re told they don’t belong – because they’re excluded. This bill will make trans kids will feel more excluded than ever.

They’re just kids. They just want to play. Please vote no to Senate Bill 29. Thank you.

You can see my testimony here at 5:43:19. Beto's is at 6:44:37, and you can also hear lots of transgender people speaking for themselves. Listen to them.

Once I got over the very real anxiety of finding my way to an unfamiliar place by a certain time, the rest was not so bad. I encourage you to make your voices heard on anti-LGBTQ legislation. You can testify in-person or submit video or written testimony.  To sign up for action alerts on these issues and to support the organizations who are fighting the good fight, check out the organizations I mentioned above.

We need to protect trans kids in Texas.