A horrible, transphobic bathroom bill just cleared a major hurdle in Texas

On Tuesday night, Texas’ Republican-controlled Senate approved a transphobic “bathroom bill,” which would mandate that transgender people use restrooms which correspond to the gender on their birth certificate, rather than their gender identity. The final vote was 21–10, with Democrat Eddie Lucio breaking party lines to support the bill.

The bill, officially dubbed SB 6, has been a high-profile priority for Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, who previously lead his state’s fight against the Obama administration’s efforts to ensure trans equality in public schools. Advocates for the measure claim the bill focuses on public safety, rather than marginalizing members of the LGBTQ community. But opponents argue its emphasis on the “biological sex” listed on an individual’s birth certificate–coupled with its barring of local communities from passing their own restroom-related regulations—amounts to clear discrimination.

“Don’t you see the damage that does to [trans] kids, to be humiliated and embarrassed?” Democrat Sylvia Garcia exclaimed during the hours-long debate over the bill.

“How do you have a transgender woman, that’s just as feminine as any woman on the Senate floor, and has been so for decades, how would we operate under your law that would make that feminine woman go to a men’s restroom?” Democratic Senator John Whitmire argued. “I’m prepared to stand here ’til hell freezes over to get an answer to solve what I think is a horrible dilemma.”