Breaking: Republicans in the Texas Legislature continue their extremist attacks against LGBTQIA+ Texans with the passage of HB 229

El Paso, Texas — In Texas, y’all means all—but the Republican Party has once again made clear that their vision for this state excludes close to 1.8 Million+  LGBTQIA+ Texans. 

With the passage of House Bill 229, Texas Republicans have chosen to embrace cruelty, ignorance, and extremism. By legally redefining “man” and “woman” based solely on reproductive anatomy, they are attempting to erase transgender and intersex people from recognition in state law—denying them the basic dignity of legal existence, safety, belonging, and basic human dignity. 

This bill is not about protecting Texans. It’s about targeting a community they refuse to understand. It is the latest in a long line of calculated attacks from Republican lawmakers who are willing to dehumanize vulnerable people for political gain.This bill is not about science. It is not about safety. It is about control, fear, and erasing people to score cheap political points with the far-right so they can continue to win elections. 

Let us be clear: The Texas Republican Party is attacking trans Texans because they believe they can get away with it. They are using the power of the state to dehumanize vulnerable people, and they will not stop unless we stop them. We see their cruelty, their hate, their division, and their lack of understanding . Our promise is simple: we will fight back—louder, bolder, and stronger than ever.

The Stonewall Democrats of El Paso condemn this bill and the cowardly, hateful lawmakers who pushed it forward. We know what this is: a desperate attempt to turn back the clock on civil rights and appease a shrinking, radical base.

But we are not going back.

No law will erase who you are.

No law will erase who we love.

And no law will erase the progress, resilience, and power of LGBTQIA+ trail blazers who have shaped this state—from icons like Ray Hill and Annise Parker to today’s champions for justice.

We proudly uplift the leadership of Texans like:

State Representative Mary González, the first openly pansexual elected in the united state and a tireless advocate for equity and inclusion,

Representative Venton Jones, the first openly HIV-positive member of the Texas Legislature,

Senator Molly Cook, the first openly LGBTQIA+ person to be elected to the Texas Senate, a powerful voice for public health, and human rights,

Jessica Cohen, the first Transgender Vice President of Texas Stonewall Democrats,

Michael Apodaca, the first openly LGBTQIA+ El Paso County Democratic Party Chair, 

Wesley Lawrence, a fearless organizer, founder of Stonewall Democrats of El Paso, and community builder, and

Ash Hall, a longtime activist on the frontlines of the fight for trans rights in Texas.

These leaders, and countless others across our cities and towns, are the future of Texas—not the hate-fueled politics of the current Republican majority.

We are proud to stand with community organizations such as the Borderland Rainbow Center, Imperial Court de Las Reinas y Reyes, and PFLAG El Paso, who provide safety, advocacy, and strength to LGBTQIA+ individuals and families in our border community.

Across the state, we lift up the vital work of Equality Texas, Transgender Education Network of Texas (TENT), The Montrose Center, and Out Youth, who continue to fight on the frontlines—because our rights will not be gifted back to us; they must be defended.

To Texas Republicans: you may pass laws, but you will not break us. You may try to erase us, but we are everywhere, and we are organizing. Your bigotry has been noted, and it will be remembered at the ballot box.

We will not be silent. We will not step back. We will fight alongside our trans community with love, with pride, and with unrelenting purpose.

Pride is protest. Pride is power. 

And in El Paso,and across Texas,we’re not backing down.

A message from CD-23 Texas Democratic Committeeman and Stonewall Democrats of El Paso President Wesley Lawrence:

To my transgender friends: we see you, we love you, we hear you—and most importantly, we will never stop fighting for you.

While Texas Republicans are busy demonizing our state and stripping away rights in the name of extremism, we are building something stronger. We are forging resilient, unapologetic coalitions within the Texas Democratic Party,coalitions that will stomp out hate, grow our political power, and become a force to be reckoned with.

Let me be clear: in my opinion, House Bill 229 is an unconstitutional and deeply immoral law. It is yet another chapter in the Republican crusade to invade our personal lives, dictate our identities, and erase entire communities from public recognition. It should be legally challenged and struck down.

The government’s job is not to define who we are. The government’s job is to protect all people from the very kind of hate and discrimination this law represents. HB 229 is a betrayal of that responsibility—and an insult to every Texan who believes in liberty, privacy, and human dignity.

I challenge every Republican who supports this law and laws like it: come to the table. Debate the issue. Stand by your convictions,because I always will. Hiding behind manufactured outrage and bad policy isn’t leadership—it’s cowardice.

And I’ll say this again, for every child, every family, every LGBTQIA+ Texan who needs to hear it:

In my version of Texas, y’all means all.

Children are free to exist, to be seen, and to live as their authentic selves.

And the government? It stays the hell out of our personal lives, bedrooms, bathrooms, or whatever weird places Republicans dare explore. .

We are not going away. We are not backing down. And this movement—for freedom, for justice, for every trans Texan, is only getting stronger.

About Stonewall Democrats of El Paso

Stonewall Democrats of El Paso is a chapter of the Texas Stonewall Democratic Caucus, committed to electing pro-equality candidates, advocating for LGBTQIA+ rights, and building inclusive power in West Texas and beyond. You can learn more about us at https://www.stonewalldemsep.com