8 Jun 29 - July 5, 2023 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents cancellations at 2.04%. Look, this ranking may not bode well for the NorTex travelers out there. But take comfort in the fact that the rate of unruly passengers with violent and threatening be- havior is down considerably from its crazy- high pandemic-era peak back in 2021. Woosah. ▼ LEGISLATURE NOT SO PROUD TEXAS HOME TO 20% OF ALL ANTI- LGBTQ+ LEGISLATION THIS YEAR. BY SIMONE CARTER G ov. Greg Abbott recently signed into law Senate Bill 12, which was ini- tially designed as a ban on drag per- formances in the presence of minors but later amended to remove references to drag and focus on sexually oriented shows. The bill, which takes effect Sept. 1, is one of the many anti-LGBTQ+ bills filed in Texas this past session. The Lone Star State is a leader when it comes to such legislation, and a recent re- port from the Human Rights Campaign practically proves it. Texas lawmakers were behind one in five of all anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced nationwide in 2023, according to HRC. Cathryn Oakley, the advocacy group’s se- nior director of legal policy, said the Texas Legislature has been on an “unrelenting anti-transgender path” since 2017. “Folks are exhausted, and they are afraid, but they will not be bullied, and I take so much hope from the LGBTQ community in Texas who has absolutely refused to give up,” she said. “And at the same time, I know there are so many folks in Texas who are choosing to leave or who will never come to Texas as a result of these laws.” Texas is a standout in other unsavory ar- eas, too. In addition to featuring 20% of the nation’s anti-LGBTQ+ bills, it’s previously been named the No. 1 state for white su- premacist propaganda. Conservative leaders are pushing back against the premise of Pride Month even while certain cities move to honor it. Dallas, for instance, raised its official Pride flag at the start of June. Anti-LGBTQ+ mobilization is also spiking nationwide, with protesters rallying outside drag and Pride events. The far-right militia Proud Boys and Patriot Front, a Texas-based white supremacist hate group, had both re- portedly planned to ramp up attacks on LG- BTQ+ events and businesses in June. Johnathan Gooch, communications di- rector for Equality Texas, estimates that the latest legislative session saw around 140 anti-LGBTQ+ bills. Among them were pro- posals to ban gender-affirming care for trans youth in Texas. Such legislation has worked to create an unsafe climate for many Texans, sometimes leading to deadly consequences. Gooch noted that earlier this month, a man fatally shot a woman in an Austin suburb after call- ing her a homophobic slur. “So when lawmakers repeat this harmful rhetoric, they are normalizing bullying,” he said. “They are setting an example for the rest of Texas, and they give permission to these radical people to do some really vio- lent things. And I think we need to hold law- makers accountable to the words they use when speaking about the LGBTQ commu- nity.” Gooch also called North Texas “a hotspot for anti-LGBTQ violence.” HRC’s Oakley said the 2023 legislative ses- sion was a “different story” than some of its re- cent predecessors. “Texas will end up passing more bad legislation into law this year than it has since 2017 combined,” she said. As someone who spends time in state leg- islatures for a living, Oakley noticed that Texas stands out in another way. She said she’d never before witnessed such an “unbe- lievable” police presence like the one in the state Capitol on days when LGBTQ+ issues were being considered. Abbott may be attempting to carve out a national name for himself by championing extreme laws, but it comes at the expense of LGBTQ+ Texans’ safety, she said. “It is becoming an increasingly untenable place for LGBTQ folks to live,” Oakley said. The anti-LGBTQ+ moral panic is reach- ing a fever pitch. Earlier this month, the Hu- man Rights Campaign, which was founded in 1980, declared a state of emergency for LGBTQ+ Americans — for the first time in the organization’s history. Texas parent Rachel Gonzales, who has a transgender daughter, told the group that her family has fought for years to remain in the Lone Star State. “Despite the exponentially heightened threats we face today from hate-filled legis- lators, we are still surrounded by Texans who know, love and support us,” said Gon- zales, a member of HRC’s Parents for Trans- gender Equality Council. “It is horrifying that so many families are being used as pawns in this manufactured debate from po- litical extremists. We want every trans kid and adult here to know that they are not alone, we are staying put and we’ll be fight- ing right here alongside you.” Oakley sees “so much hope for the state of Texas,” but she isn’t so sure about the state’s GOP-majority Legislature. Still, she said that LGBTQ+ Texans and their allies will continue to persevere. “Our fight is to make sure that everyone gets to live in Texas and be who they really are, and Texas — of all states — will not go down without a fight,” she said. “So, I wouldn’t bet against LGBTQ Texans.” ▼ KEN PAXTON DEFENDING KEN TEXAS GOP BLASTS KEN PAXTON’S IMPEACHMENT IN RESOLUTION. BY SIMONE CARTER T he Republican Party of Texas is dou- bling down on its devotion to embat- tled Attorney General Ken Paxton. On June 20, the Texas GOP published the text of its resolution condemning Paxton’s impeachment by the state House late last month. The party’s resolution lays bare a deepen- ing rift among Texas Republicans. While the GOP-majority House voted 121–23 Unfair Park from p6 >> p10
