A day (and night) at the Texas Capitol - a.k.a. we need your help
“Fight For Our Lives” Rally 3/27/23 Austin, TX
Photo credit: Allison Matney
Well, Monday was quite a day. HB 1686, a bill that would ban all affirming health care for Texas transgender youth, was heard in the House Public Health Committee that day, so I drove to Austin to testify and to attend a midday rally at the Capitol.
The best things I can say about Monday are:
1) The “Fight For Our Lives” rally was huge, amazing, incredible, and powerful. HUNDREDS of people showed up to the Capitol to express outrage at the legislature for taking rights away from transgender Texans. I have never seen a LINE to get into the building!
2) As always, it was fantastic to be with friends and fellow advocates. I count myself lucky to fight alongside such a passionate, resilient, and joyful community. So much fun to hug internet friends in person and make meaningful connections.
And then there was the rest of the day.
People arrived as early as 6:30 a.m. to register to testify against HB 1686. Some with children. Some in wheelchairs. Some in groups. Some alone. Some from Austin. Many from all over the state. All of us with hope (and coffee).
In public hearings, the committee chair sets the schedule for the day. No one knows the order of the bills until that morning, so the bill you’re interested in could be anywhere in the lineup. And the committee usually takes a recess for debates and votes on the House floor (and/or lunch). And sometimes the hearings for each bill go quickly, and sometimes they take a long time.
So we wait. And wait. And wait. All day and sometimes all night. In the basement of the Capitol. You never know when your bill will come up, when public testimony will start, or when your name will be called and you have to run to the room and get your 2 minutes to speak. The constant vigilance is utterly exhausting.
On Monday, there were at least 7 bills set to be heard in committee. We had heard that HB 1686 would likely be heard last, in the hopes that opponents of the bill would get tired and go home. We also heard that the committee chair (Republican Stephanie Klick) planned to cut off testimony at midnight, which is unusual; most committees continue hearings until all public testimony (anyone who registers) is heard. Over 400 people registered to testify - the overwhelming majority against the bill. Additionally, about 2700 people dropped cards (registered their position) against the bill, in contrast to only 91 in favor.
The morning moved quickly, and HB 1686 was laid out (presented) by the author of the bill before lunch. Committee members had a chance to ask questions/debate, and then invited testimony started. These people are like expert witnesses in a case; they get unlimited time to read their testimonies, and committee members tend to ask them lots of questions. Things can get nasty.
For this bill, much of the invited testimony was from doctors and mental health professionals but also from people directly affected by the bill, like parents and experts providing gender-affirming care (yay – our side!) and paid detransitioners (boo – people who are flown around the country to testify).
One or two invited witnesses testified before lunch, then committee went to the House floor for about an hour, and invited testimony resumed around 3pm.
Usually invited testimony can last around an hour, maybe a little more if it’s a contentious bill and there are lots of questions. On Monday, invited (and preferred/priority) testimony lasted over SEVEN HOURS.
In all, I was at the Capitol for approximately 14 hours that day. One of my kids joined me around 2 p.m. for the rally, and the other kid joined us around 6:30 p.m. My kids and I didn’t want to be in the actual hearing room; we didn’t want to absorb the hateful language by hostile testimony and legislators’ posturing. Instead, we waited and wandered restlessly. We found food in friendly representatives’ offices (thank you, Venton Jones!) and hung out with community in a few rooms reserved for our very large contingent. We refined our testimonies and tried to work or study while keeping one ear and eye on the hearing livestream, listening to and cheering for friends.
Public testimony didn’t start until 10:15 p.m. This was a tactic by the committee Republicans to draw out the hearing and silence the hundreds of people waiting to testify against the bill. Hundreds.
Only about 30 people were able to testify before midnight, and that did not include me or my two transgender kids who skipped college classes and waited for hours to have their voices heard. Fortunately, there were a few transgender children and their parents who were able to give their testimonies; this is who the bill will affect the most, and I’m glad their voices were heard.
At midnight, when the hearing was officially over, a large number of advocates staged a direct action protest – a die-in – that sent a powerful message to the committee. They had to step over “bodies” to exit the hearing room and listen to deafening chants such as “Klick lies, kids die!” and “Protect trans kids!”
Cutting off testimony at midnight and silencing hundreds of people was wrong and a violation of the democratic process. If you’d like to hear the testimony I would’ve given, you can head to my Instagram or Facebook to watch.
The hearing is over, but Texans can still submit written testimony and email it here, here, and here until Friday, March 30, at 5pm CDT. You can also call and email the chairperson and members of the committee to express your opposition to HB 1686. Committee information (and other actions) are here, courtesy of Transgender Education Network of Texas, Equality Texas, Texas Freedom Network, and ACLU of Texas. Follow those orgs for more updates and information about upcoming Texas bills. If you want to watch the hearing, here’s part one (HB 1686 starts at 3:43) and part two.
Allies, this is your time to take action. Everyone can make a phone call, write an email, or submit written testimony. Please help.