US athletes have signed a moving open letter opposing the Texas bathroom bill
Over 55 American athletes have signed an Athletes Ally open letter opposing the proposed Bathroom Bill in Texas.
The open letter was signed by a number of people including sports stars affiliated to the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).
The letter was published yesterday by nonprofit organisation Athlete Ally, a group that promotes inclusivity in sports communities.
Former players of the US Women’s National Team and current players in the NWSL appear on the letter which opposes Texas’ anti-transgender bathroom bill, SB6.
The letter explains that those who have signed it are committed to “upholding values of equality, inclusion and respect”.
“As members of the athletic community, we’re committed to upholding the very values that sport instills in each of us. Values like fair play, equality, inclusion and respect.
“We believe that everyone should be afforded the same access, opportunity, and experience both in sport and under the law.
The letter goes on to say that the bill would damage Texas, sports and the transgender community.
“This is why we’re joining together to speak out against Senate Bill 6 (SB6), and the dozen more anti-LGBT bills already filed, and the harm they would do to the state of Texas, to the transgender community, and to the sports, we have come to know and love.”
Hudson Taylor, the Executive Director of Athlete Ally, said that the letter proves that all Texans “deserve equal respect and protection”.
“The athletic community refuses to be sidelined while the state of Texas debates anti-transgender bills like SB6,” Taylor said.
“Today, the athletic community made it clear that SB6 is counter to the values of sport, and that all Texans — regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity — deserve equal respect and protection on the playing field, in the locker room, and under the law.”
The bill is alike to the controversial HB2 bill that was passed in North Carolina.
It dictates that people must use restrooms and changing facilities in public that correspond to the sex they were assigned at birth – their “biological sex”, which the bill states is the sex listed on a person’s birth certificate.
The Texas Senate passed the draconian bill earlier this week after a long scaremongering campaign.
The bill threatens schools with hefty fines if they permit transgender children to use the bathroom of their preferred gender – up to $10,500 for “multiple violations”.
The proposed law would also voids local anti-discrimination protections for trans people.
SB6 will now move to the Texas House of Representatives, before landing on the desk of Governor Greg Abbott if it passes.
