AUSTIN, Texas — After waiting hours, a crowd protesting a bill to ban gender-affirming care for minors erupted as the Texas House finally brought it up for debate. As their shouts grew louder and more disruptive, Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan took the rare step to clear them out. In the Capitol hallways, it got rough. State troopers took down and handcuffed a few demonstrators. Then, the protesters were escorted entirely out of the Capitol.
But the day didn’t start this way. It began with a peaceful sing-in and rally. Two hundred Texans gathered to say “no” to the bill being heard.
“It’s literally lifesaving, best practice health care,” said Rachel Gonzalez, who drove down from Dallas.
Her transgender daughter is on a puberty blocker.
“This is not something that we take lightly. This is not something that should be a flippant decision by anyone,” Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez believes the legislature should not be involved in medical decisions. And she’s worried about her daughter’s health if the bill passes because she’d be forced to wean off the medication.
“I can’t even mentally go there, and I can’t let her mentally go there, because it would be so devastating,” Gonzalez said.
But not everyone in the Capitol agrees. There was a big group of people there associated with the conservative organization Save Texas Kids. One of them was Angela Smith, who is the founder of the Fredericksburg Tea Party. She believes in parental rights, but thinks lawmakers need to step in here.
“We don't allow minors to buy cigarettes, for instance, because we know that it is going to alter their health,” Smith said. “They can certainly make those decisions at the age of adulthood.”
Studies done by the University of Texas at Austin show puberty blockers can slow down a child’s growth, but they can also decrease thoughts of suicide in adulthood. Both sides of the issue feel they’re “protecting children.”
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Though the bill was delayed due to a technical error, it’s expected to be back up for debate later this week. And when it is, some Texans will come right back to the State Capitol to fight it again.
“I’m going to keep showing up to fight for what I know is right for my child every single step of the way, because that’s what every good parent should be doing,” Gonzalez said.