Honey Badger • SJS

I used to be supposed to put in writing this submit weeks in the past, means again throughout budget week in April. Or was that in March? Lege time feels very totally different from standard work time. You by no means know when your boss goes to textual content or name you to get on the pc and do some work. Whenever you stroll into the workplace you by no means know what time you’re going to get to go residence. Generally that may be 5:30 pm, different occasions that may be 3 am. Whenever you’re not writing analyses, you’re watching your committee, or the ground, or another person’s committee. Perhaps you’ll name a couple of folks to get the most recent phrase on a invoice, replace your invoice tracker.

At all times working. It could possibly put on you down. At this level my emotional state is that of a honey badger who simply doesn’t give a shit. My persona is that of a spiteful, rabid racoon preventing an alley cat over a bit of rubbish. At this level within the session, that’s what it looks like we’re doing. Everyone seems to be simply preventing one another over rubbish.

Thursday, March fifth

On Thursday March fifth, the Home fought over a selected piece of rubbish. A invoice that may allow the state to take over the most important college district within the state, Houston ISD. A horrible invoice that died on the ground from a POO (Point of Order) because it rightfully ought to have. In retaliation, the author of that invoice got here again on the mic to announce that as a result of this POO, the House Committee on Public Education (Pub. Ed.) would reconsider the vote of SB 29, the senate’s trans youth sports activities ban that had didn’t garner the required votes to go committee simply two days prior. I had turned in for the evening by that time, a uncommon second the place I used to be in a position to catch a full 8 hours of sleep and missed this announcement.

I arrived to work vivid and early Friday morning as standard. A number of coworkers have been already there printing out the day’s Legislative Research Group ground studies meant to be delivered to the Sergeant at Arms. As I used to be ready for the final studies to be printed and stapled so I may ship them, my coworker and buddy Phoung Nguyen, who’s assigned to Pub. Ed., referred to as in a rush and defined that she was driving in as a result of the committee was reconsidering SB 29. I used to be crushed.

I’ve talked about in my previous post I’m a transgender non-binary individual. My pronouns are they/them or he/him and I current pretty masculine to the purpose that I get some undesirable consideration after I occur to make the most of the feminine restroom. I wasn’t out in highschool as trans or queer, however I did take part in cross nation and long-distance monitor. My senior 12 months I used to be the staff captain for cross nation and led the ladies’s staff to regionals that 12 months. Sports activities have been an enormous a part of my highschool years, as they’re for a lot of youths. I realized so much about management, self-discipline, and tips on how to correctly care for my physique. I beloved cross nation and the comradery I constructed with my staff.

As a non-binary trans individual, I’m undecided which staff I’d’ve requested to compete on if I used to be out and had a alternative throughout highschool. However I’d hope that no matter determination I made would have been met with acceptance and respect. As a social work scholar, you come to count on that from everybody as a result of one of many core moral values social staff observe is respecting the inherent dignity and self-worth of an individual. On the Texas Legislature it is vitally apparent that’s not a price some legislators observe.

Friday, March sixth

Friday, March sixth, I rushed into the committee room for Pub Ed. It was filled with activists and lobbyists desirous to see what the brand new vote could be. Phuong was sitting on the entrance and I joined her. What adopted was a dialog that’s making me query if I need to pursue a profession as a coverage activist for the LGBTQIA+ group. An modification had been added to the invoice that may permit a research to be carried out of the “downside” of transgender athletes competing in public college sports activities. There isn’t a “downside.” You additionally can’t adequately research one thing that you’ve got outlawed. Transgender youth already face higher levels of bullying and harassment from friends and academics than their cisgender counter components. They face psychological well being points, equivalent to despair and suicidality, at 4 occasions the speed of their cisgender friends. 40% of transgender youth will both significantly ponder, try, or commit suicide earlier than their twenty fourth birthday. A invoice like SB 29 shouldn’t be fixing an issue. It’s a invoice disguised as an answer, however in actuality is just selling the hateful and dangerous rhetoric that transgender youth usually are not welcomed in society.

In closing remarks earlier than the vote, Chairman Harold Dutton, a Democratic consultant from Houston stated that he didn’t know a lot relating to the problem of transgender youth in sports activities but “the invoice that was killed final evening affected way more youngsters than this invoice ever will. In order a consequence, the chair strikes that Senate Invoice 29 as substituted be reported favorably to the total Home with the advice that it do go and present the chair voting aye.”

I cried when the votes have been being tallied up. 8 Ayes and 5 Nays. I haven’t cried over a invoice all session. Not after I listened to hours of testimony on HB 1399, one other anti-trans invoice, or when SB 29 held public testimony in its Senate listening to. The blatant disregard for the kids and youth not simply in Texas however all over the world that may learn articles in regards to the invoice and its listening to. See the video clips of the vote on social media. It broke my coronary heart. I’m nonetheless offended. I’m a part of that 40% statistic. At 20 years previous, my spiritual beliefs have been at struggle with my gender id and sexual orientation. I hated myself. Many transgender youth wrestle with that self-hate, and to have your state reps disregard your existence in such a public setting? Horrifying.

This session particularly, transgender youth are going through attack after attack. A number of states have outlawed medically affirmative gender look after transgender youth, equivalent to reversible puberty blockers that present only a few extra years for a youth to totally make a decision on in the event that they need to medically transition or not. In the event you’re already battling hating your self, what do you suppose occurs once you see highly effective components of the remainder of the world hating you again?

I hate having such a shameless, shame of a person have such an impact on my emotions. For essentially the most half I’ve shoved that Friday at the back of my thoughts to take care of later. There are nonetheless different payments to investigate, cellphone calls to make, and flooring to look at. I numb all the way down to a honey badger to place off the floodgates I do know are going to open as quickly as I’ve time to breath.

Right this moment…

SB 29 is sitting in Calendars proper now, ready to see if it is going to get a closing likelihood to permit house for problematic and dangerous conversations to happen. One calendar stays for this session to listen to Senate payments within the Home on 2nd studying. I’m undecided what’s going to occur or how I’ll react if it will get positioned on that Tuesday calendar. With our work winding down, I’m frightened I received’t have the ability to compartmentalize like I’ve been. I do know my fellow LSGers will present a protected house for me to fall again on. Or perhaps they’ll be holding me again from storming the ground and giving these reps a bit of my thoughts. Guess I’ll discover out if it will get positioned on that calendar.

By Maddox Hilgers, intern within the Texas Legislative Study Group

Initially posted from College of Houston Graduate College of Social Work’s Austin Legislative Internship Program. The Faculty selects graduate MSW college students to intern on the Texas Legislature throughout its legislative session each two years. This submit was syndicated with permission from its authors.