The ACLU of Texas works to protect, defend, and expand the constitutional and civil rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA+) Texans.
Texas is home to the second largest population of LGBTQIA+ people in the country, yet across the state, LGBTQIA+ Texans lack basic protections. Many face discrimination, harassment, bullying, and violence in their daily lives simply for being who they are. This is especially true for the most vulnerable groups like LGBTQIA+ Texans of color, transgender Texans, and LGBTQIA+ youth.
Not only have we worked with dozens of LGBTQIA+ students and their families to advocate against discrimination in school, but we developed a tookit with our partners to empower young people to engage in direct advocacy. In 2021, Texas lawmakers proposed over 75 anti-LGBTQIA+ bills, including more than 50 bills that specifically targeted transgender, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming youth. We worked with partner organizations to stop these harmful, unconstitutional new laws and were able to stop all but one, the anti-trans youth sports ban H.B. 25.
When the governor tried to go after families of transgender youth undergoing gender affirming care, we capitalized on our resources to block these harmful actions by immediately challenging it in court, taking the fight to the steps of our Capitol, and shifting the narrative through extensive media coverage. We also worked with our partners to provide support and information directly to families targeted by these actions.
