Austin (WBAP/KLIF News) – Female business leaders held a rally outside the Texas Capitol Tuesday, opposing a measure that would restrict transgender bathroom use. The bill has passed the state Senate but has not been scheduled for a hearing in the House.
“These bathroom bills are distracting,” says JJ Davis, a vice president at Dell. “We need the legislature to focus on what matters: education, bringing the skills into Texas that we need.”
More than 1,300 businesses have signed a pledge, saying they are committed to promoting a competitive, economically vibrant Texas.
“We believe that treating all Texans and visitors fairly is essential to maintaining Texas’ strong brand as the premier home for talented workers, growing businesses, entrepreneurial innovation, and a thriving travel and tourism industry,” the pledge reads.
“We are tired of being used to promote discrimination simply to satisfy a few politicians who need to keep extreme political funders happy,” says Mellie Price, the owner of a firm that works with startups in Austin. “Quite frankly, women spend their lives becoming very attuned to the threats to us, and they don’t lie with sharing a bathroom with a transgender woman.”
Through Tuesday, the legislature had sent zero of the 20 priorities Greg Abbott named to the governor’s desk. House Speaker Joe Straus and Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick have started meeting again. Patrick’s office has sent a statement saying two are “still talking” and had a “substantive meeting” on Monday.
Governor Abbott has not said whether he would call a second special session if transgender bathroom restrictions do not pass.
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