New bill could see transgender Texans being charged with 'gender identity fraud'
A two-year prison sentence and a $10,000 fine could be slapped on members of the trans community in Texas if they were to reveal their gender to their employer and/or a federal worker.
It is the latest in a string of anti-trans executive orders that have been filed since President Donald Trump reclaimed the Oval Office in January.
This has included Euphoria star Hunter Schafer receiving a passport that lists her as 'male', as well as the president attempting to ban transgender women from participating in women's sports and stop transgender people from serving in the military.
This proposed bill, known as 'House Bill 3817', was introduced by Republican state Rep. Tom Oliverson.
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"An act relating to creating the criminal offense of gender identity fraud," the proposal reads.
It would be enacted by amending the Texas Penal Code to add this new form of fraud.
It explains 'gender identity fraud' as being: "A person commits an offense if the person knowingly makes a false or misleading verbal or written statement to a governmental entity or the person's employer by identifying the person's biological sex as the opposite of the biological sex assigned to the person at birth.
"An offense under this section is a state jail felony."
The act, if passed, would take effect from September.
It would essentially ban transgender people in Texas from revealing their true gender identity to police officers, as well as their employers or on any government application. Instead, they would have to falsely identify as the gender they were assigned at birth.
Of course, for the bill to come into play, it would first have to be approved, and according to the Texas Legislature tracker, it is unlikely that it will be - with it having not moved to any committee, nor does it have a co-sponsor.
It comes just seven months after the Texas Department of Public Safety ordered that its workers stopped allowing transgender people the right to change their gender on their state ID and driver's license.
American Civil Liberties Union's (ACLU) Texas division issued the following statement on the back of the move: "The Department of Public Safety has a responsibility, as stated in its own name, to keep all Texans safe. This policy does the opposite.
"Not having accurate driver's licenses jeopardizes trans people's health and safety — by potentially outing us and exposing us to discrimination, harassment, and violence. State agencies can’t ignore court orders nor is DPS allowed to collect or share people’s personal information for political aims.
"This relentless targeting of transgender Texans is yet another alarming attack on our privacy, safety, and dignity. Trans people deserve to live free from persecution in Texas and everywhere else."
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the LGBT national hotline at 888-843-4564, available Monday to Friday 4pm-12am ET and 12pm-5pm ET on Saturdays.
Topics: LGBTQ, Texas, Transgender, US News, Donald Trump, Politics
Joe Yates