Connecticut ranks among the strongest states in the country when it comes to protecting LGBTQ+ rights, according to the Human Rights Campaign’s scorecard, which found the same cannot be said for Texas, where legislators recently considered or passed several bills harming its LGBTQ+ residents.
While advocates told the Texas Observer that the bills that passed this year seemed less directly harmful than ones that were proposed, the bills still stand to impact queer students, health care access and legal standards. Indeed, the news source noted that bills that did not pass in Texas this year included bans on drag performers in public libraries and equating gender-affirming care to steroid use in athletics.
That said, a key bill passed this year will ban Texas schools from teaching about sexual orientation or gender identity and prevents the formation of in-school clubs supporting LGBTQ+ residents, according to the Texas Tribune. That will prevent students from forming gay-straight alliances and pride clubs and is likely to harm anti-bullying efforts, the news source said – experts told the publication that students will be isolated due to these policies.
Other bills could have a chilling effect on educators. One such bill removed a legal protection that had shielded parents, librarians, and teachers from prosecution for providing kids with educational materials that others consider to be “harmful,” according to the Texas Observer.
Comparably, Connecticut has taken steps to prevent library censorship and state Attorney General William Tong in 2023 affirmed that the state has strong protections for LGBTQ+ rights, with enshrined marriage equality, protections against discrimination in workplaces, housing and financial decisions and protections against hate crimes.
Despite the new laws, Texans in opposition are making sure their voices are heard, the Dallas Morning News reported. Advocates for LGBTQ+ rights will continue protesting and fighting.
