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Witness threatens violent sexual assault against trans women during Texas Senate hearing
During an August 22 Texas Senate hearing on a transphobic bathroom bill, Jack Finger, a representative of the anti-LGBTQ+ San Antonio Family Association, repeatedly misgendered trans women and threatened to severely injure the genitals of any trans person using public facilities.The hearing covered S.B. 8, a bill that would require people to use facilities inside of government buildings that match their sex assigned at birth. Any institution that violates this law would be fined $5,000 for the first offense and $25,000 for each additional offense. Related Spectators boo right-wing trolls transphobic speech in Texas Senate Finger began by mentioning that his group opposes perversions and enemies of the family (ignoring the fact that many families include trans people). His group refers to LGBTQ+ identities as unnatural lifestyles which attack the family, promote unhealthy lifestyles choices, and will lead to domestic failure.Im just an old fogie and I wasnt made for these times, but how on earth did we get to the point where men are allowed to go into womens restrooms and locker rooms and shower with them and nobody can do anything about it? I, for one, am tired of that. I wont put up with it, Finger said during the hearing. Ive seen it at least a couple of times in San Antonio and I was tempted to help that gentleman save money on his transgendered operation by physically helping him get there. Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Subscribe to our Newsletter today In response, Texas State Rep. Ken King (R), who filed a 2023 bill that wouldve forbidden public schools from celebrating Pride, told Finger, Sir, we will not make threats in this committee.Finger replied, You need not worry. Nothing happened.King said, You cannot make comments like that. Finger later said that King misunderstood his comment, and King replied that he was Just trying to keep the temperature in check. Finger then concluded his speech by saying that the law is necessary to instill common sense and decency into society.The San Antonio Family Association wasnt the only stateside anti-LGBTQ+ group in attendance at the hearing. Texas Values Action, which opposes same-sex marriage, also sent a representative C.J. Grisham, a member of The Proud Boys,an anti-feminist, anti-Muslim, Western chauvinist group that has allied with white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups to target drag queen performances nationwide.Proponents of the bill claimed that it is necessary to protect the privacy and physical safety of women and girls (despite the fact that the vast majority of assaults against women are committed by cisgender men). However, when questioned by committee members about specific incidents involving boys and men using womens restrooms, the bills author was unable to recall any such occurrences.Democratic committee members noted that there have been no known incidents of restroom assaults of men claiming to be trans women, that law enforcement officials and religious leaders across Texas have testified against similar bills in the past, and noted that enforcement of the bill would depend entirely on private citizens determining entirely by appearance whether a person seems to be trans.Numerous opponents spoke against the bill, noting that it encourages government intrusion into peoples privacy, discourages business investments in the state, wastes taxpayer funds, seeks to exclude trans people from civic life, and does nothing to actually aid women in substantial ways (such as offering paid maternity leave or alleviating gender wage gaps).Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.
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