Texas Lawmakers Defend Bill That Would Make Identifying as Transgender a Felony

TMZ

A new bill proposed in Texas could charge transgender people with a state felony if they lie about their biological sex assigned at birth ... and two lawmakers are defending the harsh punishment.

Transcript

00:00Gentlemen, thanks for being with us.

00:05Why is this necessary?

00:06We live in a day and age where common sense is not so common anymore.

00:11And we live in a day and age where we've watched time and time again, as there have been horrific

00:16situations.

00:17We have a mental health crisis on our hands in our country, and specifically in Texas

00:20among students.

00:21And we're watching as biological men are invading women's safe spaces, women's bathrooms, taking

00:27sports opportunities away, such as Riley Gaines.

00:30Let's be really clear on this.

00:31This does not criminalize in any way, shape or form, being trans.

00:36If you want to be trans, you're an adult, you're 26 years old, you want to be trans.

00:40This doesn't do anything to criminalize it.

00:42What it simply means, though, is that you can't change your records, nor can you lie

00:46on state documents about what your biological gender sex is.

00:52What is the point and value, say, of telling somebody that they have to say they are male

01:01if they've transitioned and feel like a female, have done transition surgery to become a female,

01:07dress as a female would dress?

01:10What is the value or purpose in having them disclose their biological status at birth?

01:19We heard from multiple law enforcement sources that if your name is Tony and you want to

01:27change your name to Tate and you want to change your gender on your birth certificate from

01:31male to female, you can dress the same way, but you're identifying supposedly as a female.

01:36If you also have a history of sex offenses, now it's nearly impossible to screen for people.

01:44Assuming they are a predator, how do you know that?

01:47Just because they say male versus female.

01:49But they're on the sex registry list.

01:51They're already on the sex registry list.

01:53If they're on the sex registry list, you're going to see them anyway with their name.

01:58But is this to find people who say they've transitioned who are predators?

02:05Because that feels like a tiny little group there.

02:07Well, either way, if we're protecting one young lady, it's worth it.

02:11And so when we're looking at a situation where quite literally governments all across America,

02:15we look at California, we look at New York, where we see perpetuation of mental illness.

02:21I don't think the government should be affirming mental illness.

02:24I think the government needs to take a stand and say, hey, look, common sense says this.

02:27You can't change your sex.

02:29If Caitlyn Jenner comes into Texas and puts on a certificate that Caitlyn Jenner is a

02:35female, you think Caitlyn Jenner should be guilty of a felony and go to jail?

02:40I think Caitlyn Jenner will follow the law.

02:43And I think Caitlyn Jenner, along with many trans people, along with many gay people are

02:49against the grooming of our children and against this infectious lie that's being told out

02:54there that there are 60 different genders.

02:57What I'm not concerned about is Caitlyn Jenner coming to Texas and what she's going to put

03:01down on that piece of paper, other than the fact that we're perpetuating a mental illness.

03:06So really the baseline of what you're looking at is you believe that anybody who is transgender,

03:12who identifies differently from their birth, their biological birth gender is mentally ill.

03:20I believe that gender dysphoria is absolutely a mental illness.

03:24And sadly, because we perpetuated it and normalized it to such a degree, people no longer see

03:29it that way across our country.

03:30Does it seem a little draconian to you that you would take what you consider to be a mentally

03:36ill person and imprison them because their mental illness, the way you see it, leads

03:44them to answer a question that you think is deceptive, that the remedy would be to make

03:50them a felon and put them in prison?

03:52We only have compassion and love for anyone that's going through this.

03:56And the reality is-

03:57But you'd put them in prison.

03:58You'd put them in prison.

03:59That's someone that breaks the law.

04:01When someone thinks that they're a female when they're really a male, 70% of these cases,

04:07they're autistic.

04:0895% of these cases, you see cutting, you see clinical depression.

04:13Treating a mental illness does not include cutting off body parts.

04:17And we want to do everything we can to say we love you.

04:20We're going to walk with you, but we're not going to aid you.

04:23We're not going to help you.

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