AUSTIN, Texas — Richard Parson is the founder of Round Rock Pride. The city, which is 20 miles north of Austin, held its second annual Pride festival on Saturday.
“It’s overwhelming. It’s wonderful. It’s exciting. It’s more than I could imagine,” Parson said.
June is Pride Month, and the LGBTQ community is honoring its long history and celebrating how far it’s come. But Parson is also reflecting on what feels like taking a few steps back, as several anti-LGBTQ bills passed during Texas’ regular legislative session.
“If we find our voices and speak up for us, we could silence those people who are protesting and who don’t want us to even exist,” Parson said.
Among the bills that passed are a ban on drag performances in the presence of minors, and a ban on gender-affirming care for Texans under 18 years old. The ban on gender-affirming care makes Texas the most populous state to do this.
“Where does the hatred come from, from a group of people that are supposed to be representing us and looking out for our best interest? Instead, they are fighting to make sure we don’t even exist or be heard,” Parson said.
Gov. Greg Abbott and other conservative lawmakers support the legislation and say the bill is necessary to protect kids.
“No child will be victimized by gender mutilation,” said Gov. Abbott at a chat last week with the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a conservative think tank in Austin. “We should not allow sex organs of children to be cut off. That is something that cannot be tolerated in this state.”
Medical professionals say this type of care is rare in the state of Texas. Instead, transgender children might choose to suppress puberty temporarily through the use of prescription medications, which is also banned under this law. The law will go into effect in September, and children who are already on puberty blockers will have to be weaned off of them.
Lawmakers also passed a bill that would ban transgender athletes from competing in sports that align with their gender identity at public universities.
“We pass laws to bring our colleges and universities more in line with the ideology of the state of Texas,” said the governor. “And that’s why we passed a law saying that women and only women will be competing in women’s sports in our colleges and universities.”
Many LGBTQ Texans say the legislation is harmful. But Parson remains hopeful as so many LGBTQ Texans and their allies uplift one another during Pride Month.
“I truly believe there are more people who support us than hate us,” he said.