TEXAS — Multiple human rights groups are calling for the United Nations to investigate and take action concerning what they call "the deteriorating human rights situation for LGBTQIA+ persons in the state of Texas, United States of America, due to hostile rhetoric and legislation from the Texas state government."

 The groups submitted a letter to members of the United Nations on Monday outlining their concerns. 

What You Need To Know

  • Human rights organizations, in a letter to members of the United Nations, are calling for Texas and the U.S. government to repeal anti-LGBTQ+ bills and introduce more legislation protecting that community

  • Equality Texas, the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, GLAAD, the Human Rights Campaign and the University of Texas School of Law’s Human Rights Clinic signed a joint allegation letter alleging that the federal government and the state of Texas violated their human rights obligations to LGBTQ+ Texans

  • The groups point to seven bills passed in the 88th Texas Legislature that target or discriminate against LGBTQ+ Texans

  • The letter outlines that the bills violate their human rights on several fronts, including health care, education, privacy and freedom of expression

Equality Texas, the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, GLAAD, the Human Rights Campaign and the University of Texas School of Law’s Human Rights Clinic signed a joint letter alleging that the federal government and the state of Texas violated their human rights obligations to LGBTQ+ Texans.

The groups specifically point to seven bills in the Texas Legislature that were passed last year which they say target or discriminate against LGBTQ+ Texans. These include:

  • SB 14, which prohibits life-saving medical care for transgender children under the age of eighteen

  • SB 17, which bans colleges and universities from having DEI offices

  • SB 15, which prevents transgender athletes from competing on collegiate sports teams that align with their gender identity if their gender identity does not match their “biological sex” as described on a birth certificate issued at or near the time of the student’s birth

  • SB 763, which allows local school districts to use state funds to employ religious chaplains

  • SB 12, which prohibits “sexually oriented performances” on public property that could be “reasonably expected to be viewed” by someone under 18 or in a commercial establishment in the presence of someone under 18, also known as a “drag ban”

  • HB 900, which bans certain books in school libraries, predominantly books with LGBTQ+ characters and themes
  • HB 2127, which prohibits local governments from adopting ordinances, orders, or rules that go beyond what is already expressly authorized in state law under various state codes, including the Business and Commerce Code, Labor Code, Local Government Code, and Property Code

Many of these bills were met with backlash from the LGBTQ+ community and allies in Texas, and spurred protests in some cities. In 2022, a GLAAD study found that Texas had the most drag event protests and threats compared to the rest of the U.S.

The letter outlines that the bills violate the human rights of LGBTQ+ Texans on several fronts, including health care, education, privacy and freedom of expression.

"Put together, the Bills are a systemic attack on the fundamental rights, dignities, and identities of LGBTQIA+ persons that opens the gates for discrimination by both public and private actors," the letter reads. "Considering the danger this represents, we humbly ask for you to make inquiries into this backsliding of human rights of LGBTQIA+ persons in the state of Texas, United States of America. Furthermore, the United States federal government has failed to adopt necessary and adequate measures to prevent these abuses."

The letter also points out that in legislatures across the U.S., there were 496 proposed anti-LGBTQ+ bills. 

"The attitudes that shape and bolster these views are gaining a stronger foothold in the social fabric and political landscape of the United States and require urgent attention," the letter reads.