In Texas, a southwestern state notorious for its right-of-center politics outside of its urban centers of Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Austin, and El Paso, a debate has broken out on whether or it the state should attempt to restrict access to bathrooms for transgender individuals.
The latest reports have several versions of the proposed legislation looking not so ripe for passage, but one can never be too sure of these things in dark-red Texas.
A similar measure went through North Carolina and cost Charlotte last year’s NBA All-Star Game.
Two of the WNBA’s most outspoken LGBT advocates—Layshia Clarendon of the Atlanta Dream and Brittney Griner of the Phoenix Mercury (who also played at Baylor) wrote an op-ed piece for NBC News railing against the proposed measure.
If this bill passes, trans people could be forced to use a locker room that is inconsistent with their gender identity. In turn, Texas would be subjecting trans athletes to harassment, bullying, and possible assault.
While we do not identify as transgender, we know what it feels like to be singled out for not fitting neatly into social norms. We have often been subjected to scrutiny and harassment for our gender expression. We play basketball, a sport that encourages women to be strong and competitive and challenges the cultural expectation of what it means to be [a] woman in athletics.
Griner and Clarendon also pushed back against claims that the bill is meant to protect women saying that is not an issue for them—and also brought to attention that the NBA also looked at a previous “bathroom bill” also with scrutiny.
Society has made major strides in recent decades to accept others for their differences: whether it be opinions on gender, mixed race couples, or LGBTQ relationships, we’ve both seen how accepting others for their differences can improve lives for the better.
