2021 is on track to become the worst year for state legislative attacks against LGBTQ people in history. And unfortunately, everything is bigger in Texas. Anti-equality lawmakers went to Austin and introduced over two dozen anti-LGBTQ bills -- more than any other state.

If that wasn’t bad enough, most of these attacks were aimed squarely at transgender children. In a repeat of the 2017 bathroom bill session, we fought back against bills that would ban transgender kids in Texas from life-saving healthcare and playing sports with their peers. Additionally, in this session, there were extreme attacks on reproductive and voting rights.

HRC staff and steering committees worked on the ground with our state coalition partners Equality Texas, Transgender Education Network of Texas, Texas Freedom Network, ACLU of Texas, and Lambda Legal. HRC supporters called, emailed, and rallied to let lawmakers know that there is no room for discrimination in Texas. Brave Texans of all ages came to Austin to testify in hearings and many more gathered at the Capitol for a rally calling on our legislators to protect trans kids.

Together, we stopped any explicit anti-LGBTQ bill from passing during the regular session - a true testament to what we can accomplish together. But this is a year we have at least two special sessions on the horizon -- with the first beginning in July -- and anti-LGBTQ lawmakers began a new push for anti-trans legislation to be added. We can’t take anything for granted and must prepare with our allies now to fight back in the future.

Sign up for an event here: www.Mobilize.US/HRCTX or email Texas Field Organizer Preston Knight at Preston.Knight@hrc.org