Democrat law enforcement officials in Texas traveled to the State Capitol to protest the bathroom privacy bill.
The political move comes on the day that the Texas Senate is debating Senate Bill 3, also known as the “Bathroom Bill.” Senator Lois Kolkhorst (R-Brenham), the author of the bill, brought the “Texas Privacy Act” to the floor for debate at the beginning of the session on Tuesday morning.
Dallas Morning News reporter Lauren McGaughy Tweeted a copy of the protest announcement listing those scheduled to attend:
Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo, who also previously served as Austin police chief, called the bill “political theater at the State Capitol.”
These law enforcement officials are joining in with eighty businesses in the state that have openly opposed the bill. Computer manufacturing icon Michael Dell Tweeted:
Democratic Austin Mayor Steve Adler reportedly said that passing the bill will actually make cities less safe.
Texas state senators, including Senators Paul Bettencourt (R-Houston) and Senator Kelly Hancock (R-North Richland Hills) have chided the Texas Association of Business (TAB), especially its president, about his dire warnings of economic destruction if the “bathroom bill” is passed, as reported by Breitbart Texas. Senator Bettencourt told TAB President Chris Wallace: “You have misled the public to a great degree on this study.” One of the senators accused the TAB official of spreading “absolutely fake news.”
Senator Hancock totally discredited the TAB president when he asked him about the State’s gross domestic product. Breitbart Texas reported:
When asked, the TAB president was unable to give Hancock the GDP (gross domestic product) for Texas even though the senator said all he wanted was a “ballpark” or something within 80 percent of the actual number. Wallace eventually provided the figure of $1.414 trillion given to him by a colleague. Wallace cited the rate of growth in the State as 15 percent. While Hancock waited for Wallace to calculate the percentage the loss would be to the state’s GDP under his worst case scenario of $8.5 billion he said: “Bear in mind this was a number that has already been proven as false.”
The fight against the legislation that would protect women and girls in women’s restrooms and facilities has pitted conservatives against Democrats, the LGBTQ community, and other social liberals.
Senator Kolkhorst pre-filed SB 6 (later filed for the special session as Senate Bill 3) and said that the Texas Privacy Act had been written, “not to begin a controversy, but to end one.” Kolkhorst said it was designed to provide “clear state guidance to public schools and buildings and [it] requires them to provide an expected level of privacy,” she said.
Breitbart Texas reported that the Obama administration issued a “Dear Colleague Letter on Transgender Students” last May saying that transgender students should use facilities they “gender identify” with at the moment.
Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas. He is a founding member of the Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX and Facebook.
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