By: Cassafras

I’m a trans woman and I currently live in Austin, but I’m originally from Houston. This has all be so depressing and draining. I think what really shocked me more than it failing was how wide the margin was. As mentioned the HERO act was about so much more than just trans people. However all the ignorance, fear, and hate of trans women specifically is what cause the bill to fail.

It’s one thing to know that we face discrimination, or to even encounter it in a small scale in your daily life. However seeing the large numbers of people line up to show how much they hate us for simply existing is so disheartening. It kind of sends a clear message to me that I am not welcome in my hometown and shouldn’t go back there.

I know the fight will continue, but it’s a major setback and it makes me afraid the right will see this as encouragement to pass an actual trans discriminatory bill in the state as a whole. With these tactics, and this sort of sample of numbers it seems likely they will actually win. I’m getting very scared to live here.