Here we go again.

The Texas House is attempting to take yet another action to promote the fantasy that transgender Texans don’t exist.

In terms of policy, this is more than a bathroom bill. Yes, it represents a big government overreach into regulating toilet usage. It outlines, for instance, that the state attorney-general “investigate” potential violations of public bathroom usage, and be prepared to prosecute violators. Most Texans would probably find attorney-general prosecutions driven by genitalia checks to be an embarrassing and wasteful use of their tax dollars.

But beyond the cruelty of attempted erasure, and past the sloppily-crafted policy elements, there is something else which is truly detestable about this bill.

In their zeal to signal disapproval of the existence of transgender Texans, the bill authors have actually written into this bill an inhumane requirement that women’s shelters CLOSE THEIR DOORS to transgender women who come to them seeking assistance.

We assume that the authors of this bill describe themselves as Christian.

We cannot think of a more un-Christian action than to force shelters to turn away victims who have just been brutalized.

We urge ALL Texas House representatives to vote no on this bill.

DeeJay Johannessen, CEO HELP Center for LGBTQ+ Health