Texas suddenly stops allowing gender maker updates on Birth Certificates

Texas is now the 8th state to have discriminatory policies or laws banning trans people from updating Birth Certificates. 

On Friday, August 30, 2024, the Texas Department of Vital Statistics without notice blocked trans people from updating their Birth Certificates.

That came just days after the state removed a single line from the drivers license policy blocking court ordered gender marker changes on Driver Licence.

The archived webpage shows how the policy used to read before August 30.

Texas law permits changes to birth certificates if proven “by satisfactory evidence to be inaccurate.” However, it doesn’t allow state agencies to make substantive policy changes without 30 days’ notice and a public comment period.

Johnathan Gooch with Equality Texas, an LGBTQ rights organization, said that this change will affect transgender Texans' ability to carry out everyday, necessary tasks like opening a bank account.

"Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has bullied state agencies into denying the specific types of updates that transgender Texans need," Gooch added. "Ironically, that means the state’s top legal officer has instructed state agencies to deny court orders from state judges. So, what should be a simple administrative task has now become a nightmare."

Texas Democrat Loses Primary Runoff, Becomes a Republican and joins Anti-Trans Hate Group

Newly minted Republican Shawn Thierry (L) Anti-Trans politician Gov. Gregg Abbott (R)

It's been an awful year for one former Democrat, State Rep. Shawn Thierry.

She lost her seat to party-backed Democrat Lauren Ashley Simmons in the May runoff, subsequently switched parties after apparently just reading the democrats party platform, and topped it off by announcing she was the US political policy director for the hate group Genspect whose mission is to seduce left center politicians into a life of anti-trans extremism.

Thierry reposted on X as Anti-Trans activist Texas Governor Greg Abbott, Libs of Tic Toc, and Anti-goverment extremists Moms of Liberty welcomed her departure from sanity.

Chaya Raichik, founder of Libs of Tic Toc, has a history of making hateful posts targeting administrators and children's hospitals just before death and bomb threats were made. Raichik denied those accusations however SPLC substantiated their claims by retrieving 2859 deleted tweets by libsoftiktok

SPLC has officially added an extremist file for anti-LGBTQ+ bigot Chaya Raichik

Her disinfo campaigns are associated w/ real world violence and bomb threats. Her false claims help to mobilize white supremacists.

Read: https://t.co/CevjlwSblA

— Jeff Tischauser (@jeff_tischauser) March 29, 2024

State Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, a San Antonio Democrat who chairs the House Democratic Caucus, said Thierry had “chosen to continue to betray the values and priorities of her constituents” and “once again put money and title above principle."

“If Thierry looks at a party taking away the freedom for women to control their bodies, cutting healthcare for millions, and led by a racist, petty convict and says I want in on that mess, I think that says more about Shawn Thierry than about the Democratic Party,” Martinez Fischer said in a statement. "Adios."

SEGM and Genspect labeled anti-#lgbtq hate group by SPLC https://t.co/uYowxTnC6N via @YouTube

— FUMusk (@kellibusey) August 31, 2024

Ealier this month Thierry announced that she joined the SPLC designated Hate Group, Genspect, which promotes anti-transgender healthcare legislation and junk science.

The Texas Tribune reports that Thierry, who served four terms before losing her primary this year, was announced earlier this week as the director of political strategy for the U.S. wing of Genspect. Founded in 2021 by Irish psychotherapist Stella O’Malley, Genspect is part of a broader network of organizations that oppose gender-transitioning care for minors, and its members have testified in favor of bills across the world that would ban or limit the practice.

Genspect has also been accused by medical experts and organizations of relying on junk science to support their stance. O’Malley, for instance, has falsely claimed that there are links between peer pressure, pornography and gender dysphoria. Genspect has also partnered with groups such as the right-wing Alliance Defending Freedom, and argues that no one under the age of 25 should be allowed to transition because their brains “haven’t yet fully matured.”

At least one Genspect official has also privately said that they oppose gender transition for people of all ages, but focus on children as part of a broader strategy to court lawmakers.

“None of us would ever recommend transition for anyone,” Genspect’s vice director, Alasdair Gunn, reportedly wrote on a private server that was leaked to the Daily Dot in 2023. “On those over 25 we say little, because it’s not in YOUR interests to mention this. We have to break through to the policymakers who are left of center, and the way to do that is to focus relentlessly on the problem of transition for under 25s.”

Thierry and Genspect did not respond to requests for comment on Wednesday. The company also recently hired Dr. Eithan Haim, a Dallas-area doctor who is currently charged with illegally obtaining information about transgender patients at Texas Children's Hospital who were not in his care. Haim then allegedly leaked the information, and has framed himself as a "whistleblower."

Texas DPS Gender Marker Policy Change To Be Addressed at Webinar

Equality Texas will be hosting a Zoom info meeting on Wednesday, August 28 @ 6:00PM to address the changes to the state policy according to a updated Instagram post .

Six legal experts and community advocates will discuss the unannounced driver's license and state ID gender marker policy changes.

Those prensenting are Shelly Skeen from @lambdalegal, Rachel Gonzales from @HumanRightsCampaign @HRC_Texas Petey Makopoulos-Senftleber from @translegalaidtx, Sofia Sepulveda (@sofia_in_texas) from @equalitytexas, and Ash Hall (@ashoftexas) from @aclutx.

Those who wish to attend will be reaquired to register in advance and can do so at linktr.ee/equalitytexas.

Texas is no longer accepting Court Ordered Gender Updates For Driver Licenses

Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton at a border security briefing at Texas DPS regional headquarters in Weslaco on Jan. 27, 2022. (Credit: Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune)

On Tuesday the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) stopped recognizing court-ordered gender updates on driver licenses and state IDs. The policy change came without warning or public notice leaving nearly 100,000 transgender Texans in legal, emotional, and physical jeopardy.

UPDATE: Texas DPS Gender Marker Policy Change To Be Addressed at Webinar on Sept 28 6 pm central

There is no legal or legislative mandate for this draconian directive, only hate. Listen to a recording by special investigative reporter Steven Monacelli when Gregg Abbott addresses young Conservatives and promises to "end" transgender and non-binary people living in Texas.

Taking away our identification that we must have to work, use public accomidations and vote is the first step.

Here's the audio of when Texas Governor Greg Abbott suggested he wants to ban trans and gender nonconforming people from being public school teachers in Texas. pic.twitter.com/AHAWtj483I

— steven monacelli (@stevanzetti) April 20, 2024

The ACLU said in a statement "The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) ordered employees Tuesday to no longer allow transgender Texans to change the gender markers on their driver’s licenses or state IDs. The new policy allegedly would block updates even when the agency is required to make them by court order."

"In an internal email, DPS also instructs employees to report any attempt by Texans to update the gender listed on their documents. The policy change reflects the latest attempt by members of the state government to target and discriminate against transgender Texans."

Under previous DPS rules, people were able to change the sex on their driver's license if there was a clerical error, or if they presented an amended birth certificate or an original certified court record, the Texas Tribune reports.

Transgender Texans are now effectively barred from obtaining an accurate foundational government document and could become especially vulnerable to discrimination and harassment, said Ian Pittman, an Austin attorney who works with transgender Texans. The change has also raised privacy concerns from advocates of transgender people who worry their personal information will be used with malicious intent.

The internal email directs driver license employees to send the names and identification numbers of people seeking to change their sex on their license to a particular email address with the subject line “Sex Change Court Order.”

Employees are also instructed to “scan into the record” court orders or other documentation relating to the sex change request.

It is not clear how that information will be used. Two years ago, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton directed employees at DPS to compile a list of individuals who had changed their gender on their Texas driver’s licenses and other department records.

High Schools are teaching a twisted and dangerous version Of Sex And Gender Study Finds

US high school biology books are teaching Sex and Gender essentialism creating conditions where discrimination and violence exist as was the case with Nex Benedict

The first scientific study examining this found that publishers are driven by sales and profits and largely ignore science.

People who hold essentialist beliefs tend to believe that sex/gender groups are mutually exclusive—that members of one group are entirely dissimilar from those in another group. By contrast, the reality is that most traits overlap considerably across sex/gender groups.

What is being taught in the classroom? You might think just read the books, but that presents a unique problem.

"Because textbook manufacturers do not publish statistics on how many schools or students use their textbooks in the US and school districts do not report complete and reliable information about adopted textbooks, researchers interested in examining the most frequently used textbooks in US high schools must rely on other methods, Science reports"

"For example, researchers typically sample textbooks with multiple editions under the assumption that these textbooks’ repeated use by schools indicates they are successful in the marketplace. Furthermore, decades of research demonstrate that decisions about which textbooks to adopt in each US state are strongly influenced by which textbooks are adopted in California, Texas, New York, and Florida because these states are the most populous and have the largest textbook markets."

"Due to their importance for publishers’ revenue, textbook developers in the US tend to write textbooks that will be easy to adapt to the standards of these four states. Therefore, we purposively sampled textbooks that had multiple editions from the four most populous states in the US (i.e., California, Texas, Florida, and New York) to construct our own database of texts that had the highest probability of representing the curriculum materials most readily available to biology students in US high schools."

In other words, the study found publishers set the bar to the lowest level regarding instruction about sex and gender hoping that California and Connecticut will find the text acceptable.

Biology books that appear acceptable to those who are simply uninformed appeal to purchasing agents in Texas and Florida.

Methodology

"We initially attempted to make a systematic distinction between terms that pertained to sex (such as “Y chromosome”) and terms that pertained to gender (such as “men”). However, it quickly became clear that this would not be feasible. The information available in the textbooks was not sufficient to make this distinction. This blurring of the linguistic boundary between sex and gender suggests in and of itself that textbooks may conflate the two. Going forward, we use the term “sex/gender” when appropriate to describe our results."

"Despite the imprecision in how sex and gender terminology was used, we were able to code whether sex and gender were explicitly differentiated in a paragraph. Of the 362 paragraphs coded, none differentiated between sex and gender in any way. Thus, textbooks inappropriately conflate between a biological phenomenon (sex) and a sociocultural phenomenon (gender)."

Appeals Court Upholds Injunction Banning Texas from investigating Families With Trans Children

The ruling is a lifesaving win for transgender children and families who remain in Texas to celebrate during the Transgender Day Of Visibility. Conversely, it's a sad reminder of their life before being forced to flee for those who have sought refuge.

The Texas Court of Appeals, Third District, today upheld injunctions in two related cases against the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) and former Commissioner Jaime Masters, barring them from implementing the agency’s rule expanding the definition of child abuse to presumptively treat the provision of gender-affirming care as child abuse, the ACLU of Texas said in a press release Friday.

The legal battle began after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, ordered the state agency in February 2022 to launch investigations into parents who provide their children with the treatment, which has been deemed safe, effective and potentially lifesaving by many major medical groups but was banned in September by state law, CNN reports.

The governor’s order came shortly after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton declared gender-affirming surgical procedures in children and prescribing drugs affecting puberty should be considered child abuse. Abbott ordered the Department of Family and Protective Services commissioner “to conduct a prompt and thorough investigation of any reported instances of these abusive procedures in the State of Texas.” Within two weeks of the directive, the state had opened at least nine investigations of families, according to the department.

The court of appeals upheld a trial court decision in the Friday order, ruling in favor of LGBTQ+ advocates and families in two related Texas lawsuits asking a state court to block the agency from investigating parents who provide their children with gender-affirming care.

Transgender Day of Visibility events in Texas: Thinking Globally Acting Locally

The International Transgender Day of Visibility often referred to as the TDOV or Trans Day of Visibility is an annual event occurring on March 31 dedicated to celebrating transgender people and raising awareness of discrimination faced by transgender people worldwide, as well as a celebration of their contributions to society.

The event was created by transgender activist Rachel Crandall of Michigan in 2009 as a reaction to the lack of LGBTQ+ recognition of transgender people, citing the frustration that the only well-known transgender-centered day was the Transgender Day of Remembrance, which mourned the murders of transgender people, but did not acknowledge and celebrate living members of the transgender community. The first International Transgender Day of Visibility was held on March 31, 2009. - Wikipedia

For me, as a transgender person living in Texas, one of the red states that have so ruthlessly persecuted our community, it's a day to be out and about supporting our community. It's about changing the trans narrative from pain to joy.

lgbtqnation: Joe Biden calls trans people “fabric of our nation” in Trans Day of Visibility proclamation.

In Their Words: Four Texans speak on Transgender Day of Visibility

It's also a day to celebrate and build allyship as so succinctly stated in this video.

The TDOV is a day to think globally and act locally. There are TDOV events worldwide but most occur in the US today out of necessity or perhaps out of respect for Christianity's holy day Easter, which happens to fall on the same day this year.

Reuters Fact Check: Transgender Day of Visibility falls annually on March 31, not always at Easter.

Here are some TDOV events happening in Texas today through Tuesday.

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"Disclosure" Screening + TDOV Panel: Krista V. King, Moderator | LIVESTREAM ONLY Free on line only donation is asked for but not required. Register here

Houston Trot for Trans Visibility Houston 5K Fun Run is Sold Out!

Amarillo Area Transgender Advocacy Group AATAG Starting at 1pm will have an egg hunt, booths, drag show, live band, dancers and lots of fun!

Austin Celebrate Trans Day of Visibility at Gender Unbound’s second annual Community Picnic and Art Market!

Dallas

Trans Day of Visibility Celebration begins at 4 pm. Sunday events:

Austin March 31 Celebrate Trans Day of Visibility at Gender Unbound’s second annual Community Picnic and Art Market!

Tuesday April 2, 2024.

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The Montrose Center in Houston is celebrating TDoV on April 2. From 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., there’ll be a DJ, food trucks, community speakers and local trans organizations in the center’s parking lot at 401 Branard St. Anyone who needs water or a space to cool off can go inside to Room 106/107.

PFLAG Responds to Texas Demand For Information

PFLAG National CEO Brian Bond said on Instagram that he will not comply with TX AG Ken Paxton's unprecedented, and outrageous demand for information on trans youth in Texas.

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ACLU National is suing to stop a request from office of the Texas Attorney General for PFLAG to turn over information about their support of families in Texas seeking gender-affirming medical care for their trans youth.

Breaking An Austin judge issued a temporary injuction blocking Paxton from collecting information about transgender children from PFLAG National

KSAT reports that Travis County District Court Judge Maria Cantú Hexsel said in an order that providing the information would harm PFLAG and its members in several ways, including violating their rights of free speech, association and protection from unreasonable searches. Additionally, the judge said, it would be a “gross invasion” of privacy. A hearing was scheduled for March 25 to give the attorney general's office a chance to make the case for why Friday's order shouldn't continue.

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Texas Transgender Families File Lawsuit To Stop Youth Healthcare Ban

Parents of children being treated for gender dysphoria and others are suing Texas over a recently passed bill that bans such medical care.

The parents of transgender youth filed a lawsuit asking for A temporary  injunction halting the trans youth healthcare ban that is set to begin on Sept. 1, 2023.

The complaint reads in part:

On June 2, 2023, Governor Greg Abbott of Texas signed into law Senate Bill 14 (“SB14” or the “Ban”), categorically banning the provision of necessary and often lifesaving medical treatment to transgender adolescents in Texas. The law passed despite the sustained and robust opposition of medical experts and the Texas families that stand to be severely negatively impacted. Absent intervention from this Court, the Ban will take effect on September 1, 2023.

Read the full complaint HERE

Dallas Judge Removes TX AG Ken Paxton from Case Involving Trans Youth Healthcare

Ken Paxton

DALLAS, June 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A judge in Dallas County today removed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton from a lawsuit involving Dallas' Children's Medical Center and physicians there providing gender-affirming care for transgender youth.

Judge Melissa Bellan in Dallas County Court at Law No. 2 ruled that Mr. Paxton and his office do not have the authority to act in the case and that no state law was implicated.

"The attorney general has no business being in this case and tried to push his way into it to satisfy a political interest, not a legal one," says Charla Aldous, who along with law partner Brent Walker and attorney Stephen Malouf represent the plaintiff, Dr. Ximena Lopez.

Attorney General Paxton intervened in the case claiming gender-affirming care constitutes child abuse. During a two-hour hearing in front of Judge Bellan, attorneys for the AG questioned whether Dr. Lopez was following the proper standard of care, but the court rejected those arguments.

"The attorney general intervened in this lawsuit with no purpose but intimidation only," Mr. Walker told the court.

Dr. Lopez filed suit in April against Children's Medical Center in Dallas in order to continue providing gender-affirming care – including hormone treatments and puberty blockers – for transgender youth after such care was suspended last fall. She and others believe that action happened after the attorney general and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott pressured Children's and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center to stop providing such treatment at the GENECIS clinic.

During the hearing in front of Judge Bellan, Mr. Malouf pointed out that use of puberty blockers for gender dysphoria is on an approved list of treatments written by the Texas Department of Health and Human Services.

Through the lawsuit, and a temporary injunction that is now in place, Dr. Lopez and other physicians at Children's are once again allowed to provide gender-affirming care.

Courageous TX Mother of Trans Son Amber Briggle appears on MSNBC

Amber Briggle, a TX mom of a transgender child has "no more words" to say to AG Ken Paxton, who’s labeled gender-affirming care for kids as child abuse. "He broke bread with my family and now he says that families like mine should not exist."

Mrs. Briggle was afraid for the safety of her children if she left them with loving relatives while she went to the GLAAD media awards. Her main concerns weren't about whether her kids would get enough to eat or make it to school on time. But about the Texas official state criminals should they steal them while she was away.

"The more people who are brave enough like Amber to tell their stories, the more we can engage Hollywood to have stories about our families and who we are. The more that people will understand." @sarahkateellis on @HallieOnMSNBC with @mrsbriggle talking attacks against trans kids pic.twitter.com/J0t0UcaDZf

— GLAAD (@glaad) April 5, 2022

'I am angry every single day because of the way the world treats my son' — Mom Amber Briggle delivered a tearful speech at the GLAAD Media Awards after being investigated for providing gender-affirming care for her trans son in Texas.

Thank you, @nowthisnews, for capturing the highlights of my speech at the @glaad awards. We need more people, orgs, and corporations to hold our elected officials accountable and stand up to #ProtectTransKids. https://t.co/TLxE5C4mz0

— Amber Briggle (she/her) (@mrsbriggle) April 5, 2022

Amber's powerful testimony against anti-trans legislation in 2021:

"I’m terrified because I’m the parent of a trans child. And I’m afraid that by speaking here today, my words will be used against me should #SB1646 or #SB1311 pass, & my sweet son whom I love more than life itself, will be taken from me."

"But here I am."

Denton Texas Passes a Trans Inclusive Non-Discrimination Ordinance

Paxton enjoyed breaking bread with the Briggle family in 2016. The Briggle family hoped that in spending time with them he would come to appreciate true Texas family values.

The hometown of a transgender family that is being attacked by the state just passed a trans-inclusive LGBTQI Non-Discrimination Ordinance. 

On Tuesday the Denton City Council voted 5-2 to pass the NDO which prohibits discrimination in housing, employment, and public accommodations based on a person's race, color, national origin, age, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity.

Denton now joins with Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Plano, and San Antonio in protecting all LGBTQI citizens. The state has tried in the past laws to invalidate local Ordinances but it remains to be seen if the Republican dominated legislature will be successful.

Violations of the NDO can be prosecuted as a Class C misdemeanor, which carries a maximum $500 fine per violation.

The city council approved the measure in a 5-to-2 vote, with Mayor Gerard Hudspeth and councilmember Jesse Davis being the only dissenting votes. KERA reports that Hudspeth is facing Denton Mayor Pro Tem Paul Meltzer in the May election for mayor,  Meltzer who currently holds Council seat 6 voted to pass the NDO, and is highly favored by all Denton progressives.

It PASSES!

It's now prohibited in denton, TX to discriminate against LGBTQ people.

This took YEARS. It shouldn't have been this hard. But it got done. Huge props to the queer folx who got this over the finish line.

This is the Texas that I know and love. So proud. pic.twitter.com/b8zrDeoGaz

— Amber Briggle (she/her) (@mrsbriggle) March 23, 2022

"It took YEARS to get this done, but it couldn't have come at a better time", wrote Amber Briggle, whose son Max is transgender. 

Previously, Gov. Gregg Abbott had illegally directed the Texas Child Protective Services to investigate parents of transgender children with the endgame of charging them with Child Abuse. Ambers's family was one of nine families CPS visited before a judge ruled against the visits temporarily stopping Abbott.

The following rulings which were challenged by Attorney General Ken Paxton affirmed that state persecution of trans families due to a child being transgender is unconstitutional.

Ken Paxton has asked the state Supreme Court to intervene to allow child abuse investigations into parents of transgender children. His request comes just days after a Texas appeals court reinstated a temporary injunction blocking the state's child welfare agency from investigating parents solely because they provide gender-affirming care to their children.

"Denton, Texas FINALLY passed a comprehensive LGBTQ non-discrimination ordinance last night." Amber Briggle wrote in a Facebook post. "Literally every person who spoke last night was in favor of the new law, because despite what the rest of the country thinks about Texas, there truly are big-hearted, kind people down here who love their neighbors. Even their queer ones."

"I've advocated for this publicly for years and for a long time, it seemed like this day would never come -- but thanks to the outstanding work of Pridenton and OUTreach Denton, the motion passed 5-2 and we can really say that "y'all means all" in Denton. They SHOWED UP and organized and rallied and spoke out, and they should be very very proud of themselves. (I know I am.)"

"Two thumbs down to Councilmember Davis who proposed an amendment (that failed) because he had "valid, non-bigoted reasons" to keep trans people (including my son, whom he knows personally) out of the bathroom. But HUGE LOVE to everyone who showed the hell up for LGBTQ folx last night because we needed that win, now more than ever," wrote Briggle.

Anti-trans TEXAS GOP candidate Jeff Younger protested at UNT

Anti-transgender TEXAS GOP candidate Jeff Younger protested at UNT

Virulently anti-transgender TEXAS GOP candidate Jeff Younger was protested at the University of North Texas Wednesday.

Students egged on by Younger who declared that trans people don't exist shouted him down with chants of "Fuck these fascists".

Younger is campaigning to be elected to the Texas House of Representatives to represent District 63 for Flower Mound, Lewisville, and portions of Denton County on an anti-transgender platform.

pic.twitter.com/HbYu7soORM

— Ismael Belkoura (@BelkouraIsma) March 3, 2022

Younger’s family first made headlines in 2019 when a Dallas County judge granted ex-wife Anne Georgulas, a pediatrician from Coppell, joint custody of the twins.

Judge Kim Cooks defied a jury’s earlier 11-1 verdict that awarded sole custody to Georgulas, declining to intervene in any parental decision over gender identity.

Judge Cooks was heavily critical of Younger at the time, stating he “finds comfort in public controversy and attention.”

 The judge accused Younger of being “motivated by financial gain” after the father raised $139,000 in crowdfunding proceeds.

However, Judge Cooks said she set aside the jury’s findings because the state “has no compelling interest to justify such interference” in requiring Younger to “affirm the child and honor the child’s choices.”

 The case dragged on for two more years until four months ago, when Dallas County District Judge Mary Brown granted most parental rights to Georgulas.

She granted supervised visits to Younger and barred the mother from beginning “hormonal suppression therapy, puberty blocks, and/or transgender reassignment surgery” without the father’s consent.

This comes as the state of Texas illegally began charging parents of transgender youth with child abuse. The facist govenor and his indicted State Attorny has shut down two of the state's gender afirmimg clinics for purly political reasons.

32,000 people have signed a petition calling on the state to cease terrorizing transgender families for political gain.

Equality Ride to Visit Three Texas Colleges

National Tour of Christian Colleges Advocates Safety for Gay and Transgender Students
******************************************
SOULFORCE PRESS RELEASE: October 20, 2008
For Immediate Release
Contact: Caitlin MacIntyre, Equality Ride Media Director
Cell: 612-715-6138
caitlin@equalityride.com
******************************************

(Dallas, TX) On October 24-29, the third annual Soulforce Equality Ride, a national bus tour to faith-based colleges, will bring a message of inclusion and safety to three area schools: Dallas Baptist University, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, and Southwestern Assemblies of God University in Waxahachie. The Equality Ride advocates safe educational settings for all students, including those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT).

The schools' responses to the Ride demonstrate the diversity of contemporary evangelical cultures. Dallas Baptist University (DBU) is collaborating with the Equality Ride to create a full day of dialogue with faculty, students, and administrators. Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (SWBTS) has offered the Riders time to make a presentation about faith and fairness. In contrast, Southwestern Assemblies of God University (SAGU) has informed the Equality Riders that they are unwelcome on campus and has refused further communication.

The third annual Equality Ride comes to Texas at a moment when research suggests that young white evangelicals are diverging from previous generations on social justice issues. A September 2008 poll commissioned by Religion and Ethics Newsweekly found that 58% of 18-29 year old white evangelicals support some form of legal recognition of civil unions or marriage for same-sex couples; a quarter (26%) support the full right for same-sex couples to marry.

However, in spite of these indications that significant numbers of 18-29 year olds support equality, more than 200 U.S. colleges and universities have explicit policies that discriminate against LGBT students. The DBU student handbook expressly prohibits "student organizations which are homosexual/bisexual in nature." Southwest Baptist lists " homosexual behavior" as grounds for unspecified disciplinary action. The SAGU student handbook lists "homosexuality" and "lesbianism" as grounds for disciplinary action, including "termination from the university."

"It's very difficult to learn in an environment where you don't feel safe," said 22-year-old Jarrett Lucas, Co-director of the Equality Ride. "When students can be punished just because of who they are, it's very difficult for them to speak up about their quality of life on campus. That's where we come in. We can speak up for a community where everyone can learn without fear."

Since 2006, the Equality Ride has visited more than 50 schools, hosting public forums, participating in panel discussions, and taking part in worship services and Bible studies. The goal is to inspire further conversation and to empower students, faculty, and administrators to make their school welcoming to all students.

Equality Riders invite students at all three schools, as well as members of the Dallas/Fort Worth community, to a community gathering on Saturday the 25th at Reverchon Park in Dallas.
The young adult organizers of the Equality Ride use a collaborative approach, writing to college administrators months in advance and inviting them to work together to design programming that examines diverse points of view -- including points of view that affirm gay and transgender students.

PRELIMINARY SCHEDULE FOR WEEK OF 10/20-10/26
Dallas Baptist University
Friday, October 24th, 2008
11:30 am, Press conference outside DBU
12:00 noon, Riders enter campus

DFW/Equality Ride Community Gathering
Saturday, October 25th, 2008
2:00 pm, at Reverchon Park in Dallas

Soulforce Q is the young adult division of Soulforce, a social justice organization that works to end political and religious oppression of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people through relentless nonviolent resistance. For more information, go to www.equalityride.com.