Gender Issues

3/22/21

 

PROTECTING THE INNOCENCE OF CHILDREN
TEF is covering several areas where bills have been authored to protect our children from harm and help them have an innocent childhood. Each section has an easy action item.
 
ACTION:

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SB 1311: Contact the Senate State Affairs Committee Chair, Sen. Bryan Hughes (512-463-0101 or Bryan.Hughes@senate.texas.gov), and ask for a hearing (. HB 1399 and HB 2693: Contact Public Health Committee Chair Rep. Stephanie Klick (R-North Richland Hills) (512-463-0599 or Stephanie.Klick@house.texas.gov) to ask for a hearing. Contact List for Public Health Committee.
 
SB 978 penalizes persons and corporations which distribute lewd visual material that sexualizes children. (Think: Netflix’s “Cuties.”) Awaiting a hearing in the Criminal Justice Committee. HB 2360 (Toth) is the companion bill.

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SB 977 eliminates obscenity exemptions in Texas Law that allow children to be exposed to harmful and obscene materials. This exemption is often used by school districts to subject our children to graphic sexual images when providing sexual-education classes. SB 977 is in Criminal Justice waiting for a hearing.

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ACTION: Contact Committee Republicans and ask them to strongly encourage their Chair to give these bills (SB 978 and SB 977) a hearing ASAP. Contact List for Senate Criminal Justice Committee.
 
HB 1811, by Valoree Swanson (R-Spring), also protects children by preventing school libraries from buying online resources that fail to follow the Internet safety policies and standards of the State Board of Education.

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ACTION: Support HB 1811 by contacting Rep. Ken King (R-Canadian), Chair of the House Committee on Culture, Recreation, and Tourism (512-463-0736 or Ken.King@house.texas.gov), and ask him to schedule a hearing for this important bill. Please ask your representative to co-author this important bill (click here to find your representative). Contact List for Culture, Recreation, and Tourism.
 
PROTECTING OUR DAUGHTERS
In many school systems, males, who claim they are female, are joining girl’s sports teams, giving them an advantage over their female teammates. Not only do girls have to accept males in their showers and locker rooms, but they are also losing valuable athletic scholarships. Rep. Swanson has filed HB 1458, which would separate high school and college athletic teams based on their biological sex.

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ACTION: Ask your representative to co-author this common-sense bill (click here to find your representative) and contact Rep Chris Paddie (R-Marshall), State Affairs Committee Chair (512-463-0556 or Chris.Paddie@house.texas.gov), to schedule a hearing.