Tell me, where is safe? A Texas family s fight for trans rights By Brian Scott Texas
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DENTON, Texas April was a month filled with frustration for Amber Briggle of Denton. The mother of two had plenty on her plate between raising her family, virtual schooling and running her small business in the North Texas town, but news out of Austin would force her back into the fight. It s a fight for her family s future.
“We have better things to do, a hundred better things to do than deal with this nonsense,” said Briggle.
For Briggle and her family the fight is for transgender rights, and moreso for her own trans son, Max. She’s been advocating for Max and for the trans community since the Texas Legislature first attempted to pass a bathroom bill back in 2015.
Biden Calls Trans Youth Brave, Says President Has Your Back
While the words were a welcome change from the previous administration, others were asking about action. April 29 2021 10:28 AM EDT
President Joe Biden delivered his first State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress last night, and he used the occasion to reaffirm his support for transgender Americans and specifically praise trans youth for their courage. Left unsaid in the speech, though, was how his administration intends to fight Republican efforts in state legislatures to pass bills targeting trans youth as a means to cater to their conservative base following losses in the 2020 general elections.
AP Photo/Gregory Bull
Joe Biden will nominate Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez to be the next director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Gonzalez is known for his opposition to Trump administration immigration policies. As sheriff, he opposed local law enforcement cooperation with ICE, ICE raids, and deportations. As head of ICE, he will oversee the enforcement of immigration law.
Gonzalez is a former Houston police officer and member of the Houston City Council. He was elected sheriff in 2016 and won re-election in 2020. During his first term as sheriff, Gonzalez was a vocal critic of Trump’s approach to illegal immigration. When first elected as sheriff, Gonzalez eliminated a Harris County partnership with ICE. The program trained deputies to screen individuals for immigration status and detain violators for ICE. He opposes ICE raids at workplaces.
Transgender 4th Grader Kai Shappley Gets Death Threats After Testifying Before Texas Legislature
On 4/21/21 at 7:41 PM EDT
Kai Shappley, a transgender fourth grader who testified in front of the Texas Senate on April 12, has begun receiving death threats for her testimony, her mother, Kimberly Shappley, said.
The child testified in front of the Texas Senate Committee on State Affairs regarding SB 1646, a bill that would redefine child abuse to include consenting to or assisting in the administering or supplying of, a puberty suppression prescription drug or cross-sex hormone to a child.
The bill would criminalize parents, guardians, medical workers and pharmacists who help trans children obtain medically approved treatments for either physically transitioning into their self-identified gender or delaying puberty.