An evening with Phyllis Frye

[Aunt Kelly]

I had the good fortune to attend a dinner event last night, where the featured speaker was Phyllis Frye. You'll want to read the article behind that link, but the 30 second blurb is that Phyllis has been out since way before it was cool, let alone safe or legal. She was the first openly transgender judge in the U.S., and one of the first accomplishments of her legal career (she has a successful practice here in Houston) was to have removed a city ordinance that had been used to prosecute cross dressers and transwomen. It was an honor to have Judge Fry join our group for dinner and to hear her speak.

Her message last night was one of education and not surpisingly, activism. She is urging everyone in Texas who is at all sympathetic to TG issues to contact their state representative and state senator and let them know that SB6, the "bathroom bill" that will be taken up in the special legislative session that begins this week, is as unnecessary as it is unfair. Despite the fact that there has never, in the entire United States, ever been an issue of a cross-dresser or MtF transsexual assaulting or otherwise creating a problem for females in women's restrooms, and despite the fact that there are already multiple statutes on the books that allow prosecution of these imaginary offenses, political grandstanding on the part of certain state officials is threatening to demonize and criminalize the simple act of using the restroom. Judge Frye points out that Houston Ordinance Sec. 28-20 would be an acceptable state law: "It shall be unlawful for any person to knowingly and intentionally enter any public restroom designated for the exclusive use of the sex opposite to such person's sex without the permission of the owner, tenant, manager, lessee or other person in charge of the premises in a manner calculated to cause a disturbance." Assault is a disturbance. Stalking is a disturbance. Trans men using the ladies room is most certainly going to cause a disturbance. Please, fellow Texans, call your state rep. and senator this week and let them know there is a better alternative than the foolish language in SB6.

[Lana Mae]

Best wishes to all the Texas girls on this issue! Here in NC it was indeed a case of grandstanding as there were already safeguards in the laws! The only one arrested as concerns our bathroom bill was a GG in a women's bathroom! These are ridiculous laws and such a waste of taxpayers dollars and of time! Not to mention their very nature! Hugs Lana Mae

[Rachael Leigh]

Sounds like a good night Kelly, and yes this bill must never see the light of day, people here are being fooled by the legislators into thinking there is some kind of issue here it's just so far from the truth
Rachel Leigh

[Pat]

Best of luck to the folks of Texas. I always enjoyed visiting the state and found Texans to be friendly and pragmatic. It surprises me a bit that that they'd get pulled into a solution without a problem situation like this.

Massachusetts is due to face its own moment next year at the mid-term elections. We have a question on the ballot that would repeal the sweeping transgender anti-discrimination law we passed just about a year ago. We're starting a public education effort but we're such a tiny minority of the population it gets pretty scary. I'm hoping a good result (for all of us) in Texas will help make more people up here aware as well. We're all in your corner.