Discrimination Domino

The following is a transcript of the testimony I gave to the Texas Senate Health and Human Services Committee regarding SB2 & SB32, the transgender sports ban bills.

I’m Molly Carnes and I am the Christian parent of a precious transgender daughter.  I’m speaking in opposition to SB2 and SB32.

We all know this isn’t about sports. This is a conservative vote getter.  I’m going to focus on the most ugly part of this bill.  Creating a barrier to changing a minor’s gender marker on their birth certificate is a Discrimination Domino.

The way this bill is written, it forces minors to decide to either live truthfully or to live as an imposter – this last option having grave consequences for their mental health.  And since we’re talking about children… Here’s the If You Give a Mouse a Cookie effect of your bill.  If you are transgender and you don’t get a birth certificate that reflects your true gender…

·      Not only can you not participate on the sports team of your gender
·      Depending on when your 18^th birthday falls (I graduated at 17)
·      You can’t get a transcript in your correct name/gender
·      You can’t get a correct diploma
·      You can’t get a correct social security card
·      So you can’t complete your FAFSA app
·      So you can’t apply for scholarships
·      So you can’t get financial aid
·      So you can’t go to college. 
·      And you can’t get an ID
·      So you cant open a bank account
·      and you can’t travel on an airplane.
·      And you can’t get correct medical records
·      and you can’t get your prescriptions in the correct name.
·      And you can’t get a job because you don’t have a social security card
·      So you can’t get a loan or a credit card.
·      So you can’t rent an apartment.
·      So you can’t buy a car.

Unless you conform to the norm and live as an imposter, you are pushed to the margins of society in every sense:  Educational, financial, vocational, and in danger of being outed and attacked for being transgender. 

When your civil rights depend on your body – whether that is skin color, your physical ability, or your private parts – instead of your inherent worth as a human being  - that is the foundation for discrimination.

The beautiful thing about transgender people is that they understand at a very deep level that their soul, not their body, is truly who they are and who we all are.  And that is the foundation for dignity and respect.  I believe they are God’s messengers who are teaching us a very important lesson – perhaps one we should have learned as children. 

       

Brood of Vipers

I currently have a Black Lives Matter sign in my yard so when my local Texas House Rep suggested attending the school board meeting where Critical Race Theory might be addressed, I figured if I had the sign, I needed to use my voice.  Apparently, Critical Race Theory is the new hot button topic for conservatives and they were going to attend the meeting to express their concern that schools were teaching this theory.  

And for the record, Critical Race Theory has been around since the 70’s.  Legal scholars developed this theory in an effort to understand why the civil rights legislation of the 60’s hadn’t produced equality for African Americans in the US.  It’s not a historical theory – it’s a legal lens.  And to say that race plays a role in this country’s systems is an understatement.  I won’t debate that here but nobody cared about this theory until recently.  Fox News mentioned CRT over 1,300 times in the last three and a half months.  So, no surprise really that now conservatives are upset about it.

I have watched Trump rallies on TV and the internet.  I’ve seen the anger and bigotry of these conservatives but never in person.  Here is how it went down.

We gathered outside the building and in the lobby to wait for the speaking sign-up to begin. During that time, some people had signs either supporting CRT or not.  One of the conservative protestors asked a friend of mine with a sign if she “was even part of this community.”  As we gathered inside a small lobby with a locked door on one side and the other door leading outside, one of the conservatives yelled for everyone to be quiet. Then her friend told everyone to bow their heads in prayer.  I was standing next to my Texas House Representative who is Jewish.  The prayer was a Christian prayer, down to the blood of Jesus.  I thought about all those wounded by the Christian church and how triggering this must have been to be unable to escape this display.  And I thought about others who may not be believers or of another faith who apparently didn’t matter to this Christian.  I consider myself super religious; I see my life through my faith lens but I am so offended when Christians force their faith practices on others.  This brings nobody to Jesus. 

As speakers were called upon to share their two-minute opinion, many of the conservatives invoked the name of Jesus.  When anyone with an opposing view was invited to share their two-minute opinion, they interrupted.  They heckled them.  They yelled at one board member to “speak up” after which he explained he had throat cancer.  They heckled the African American board member who shared the district's demographics and information about an equity audit to address the systemic racism they acknowledged in the district.  They were bullies, period. 

It was surreal to hear the outrageous claims being made:  that Critical Race Theory was being taught (despite the board explaining they follow the state curriculum that doesn’t include CRT); that CRT is Marxism; that this is the 1960’s in reverse with white people as the victims; that social justice is somehow bad.  And as they stated all their “proof” racism doesn’t exist, most all did so as Christians.  As they interrupted and bullied anyone who disagreed with them, they did so as Christians.  It was a disgusting display of the worst of Christianity. 

The board struggled to control the meeting and I wondered why they didn’t clear the room and make everyone wait in the hallway until called upon.  When the board president or attorney tried to explain that they were observers of the meeting, they just yelled back at them.  This was from a mob of unruly, rude, and hostile adults who cited Jesus’ command to love your neighbor.  I described my experience of lobbying conservative legislators for my LGBTQ child’s equal rights as going into the lion’s den.  But last night, I found myself in a brood of vipers and I am still wondering how many potential Christians were pushed even further away from Jesus. 

Soul-diers

My transgender child was baptized on Pentecost 18 years ago and here we are again; today is Pentecost aka the birthday of the Church.  Pentecost commemorates the disciples receiving the Holy Spirit in the form of fire and wind, 50 days after the resurrection of Christ.  In addition, all those gathered could hear the sermon in their native language.  It must have been a mind-blowing experience.  Instead of going to church to observe this Christian feast day, we decided to be the church.  We traveled to Austin to stand in solidarity with other parents of transgender children and their allies at our state capitol.

About 125 of us made signs to protest the anti-transgender legislation being considered by the Texas Legislature.  Then we made our way to the entrance of the House Chamber to line the stairs and hallway as the members reported for a rare Sunday session.  It was an exercise in visibility, no words were spoken as we stood in silence holding our flags and placards.   I watched the small area fill with lobbyists with hungry eyes, backslapping and gladhanding.  Some laughed with legislators as though nothing unusual was going on.  The laughing seemed forced, as if they were trying to distract themselves.  It was a stark contrast – those appearing carefree while we silently pleaded for freedom from persecution. 

And then I heard a lone violin.  A hush fell over the space for a bit, a sort of respect in the chaos.  The mournful music was like a soundtrack that told our sad stories without lyrics.  And it felt holy.  And sacred.  And it was church.  Jesus always stood against the powerful who used the law to exclude others.   

I was carrying one of two homemade, religious-themed signs, mine simply stating:  Christians for Trans Rights.  One of the lobbyists suddenly looked at me and said “and today is Pentecost!  God poured out his spirit on all flesh – on everybody – all nations!”  I just said, “that’s right.”  It was surreal to be standing in this hall, asking for all people to be treated equally on this particular day.  On the day when Christians celebrate the divine in all of us and the ability to truly hear one another, here we stood knowing that our oppressors are Christians. 

My local House representative gave me a hug and offered words of encouragement while other supportive legislators stopped to cheer us on and take photos.  I looked around and saw parents whom I’ve come to know these past months and many new faces, all there with their stories and fears and hopes.  These amazing advocates are what I call Soul-diers.  While the State of Texas continues to objectify my daughter, these people understand that the soul, not the body, is the most important part of a human being.  Whether someone is male or female or neither, is secondary to the soul God gave each person.   They see the sacred person inside.  They are Soul-diers for justice. 

Part of the Episcopal liturgy for baptism requires parents/guardians to “name this child.”  My daughter was baptized in a name she no longer uses.  But the priest also pronounces to each new Christian, “you are sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked as Christ’s own forever.”  Amen to that.  She is created by God, known by God, loved by God and will belong to Christ always.  My prayer is for our legislators to do some soul searching this week and find a way to honor the holy in all people.  The Soul-diers are standing by.

Spiritual Warfare

The last time I felt I was engaged in spiritual warfare was 2011.  My son was addicted to drugs and I felt we were in a battle with the devil.  It was a scary time filled with doubt but it instilled in me spiritual disciplines that I still practice today.  I am happy to share he will be ten years sober tomorrow.  Alleluia!

Fast forward to today and I am reflecting on my experiences at the Texas Capitol these past weeks. I made my sixth trip yesterday to advocate for the right to healthcare privacy for my daughter and all transgender Texans.  Along with other fierce parents, I spoke before television cameras, boiling my heartbreak down to 120 seconds, knowing that maybe 15 seconds would actually get used in the story.  

We then headed to lawmakers’ offices to share our stories in more detail, in hopes of activating their compassion for our children.  I had a particularly difficult interaction with one House Representative’s aide and I could not recover enough to carry on so I headed home.  It’s a particular sort of injury to travel to the seat of your state government to plead for those in power to consider your child worthy of equal civil rights.  Just the fact that we must have these discussions is deeply diminishing.  And when these people, who refuse to educate themselves on the science and identify as Christian, have no empathy for the pain they are causing, it feels like I am in the presence of evil.  And I very rarely ever use the word “evil” to describe anyone because I feel we all have a dark side.  

The more I go to Austin, the more I believe what we are doing is engaging in spiritual warfare.  Even if you do not identify with Christianity or any faith, what is playing out in our government is the result of soul sickness.  A person’s soul is sick if they continue to cause harm when their victims are crying out for relief. 

I truly believe the 30 discriminatory anti-LGBTQ+ bills in the Texas Legislature are the result of twisted Christian theology: the misguided condemnation of LGBTQ+ people and the teaching to members that they are sinful, bad, broken, and evil by nature.  If you tell people their entire lives they are evil, it breeds a deep self-loathing.  So when they try to love others as themselves, I call it a recipe for ugly pie.

I am beyond grateful that as Episcopalians, my husband and I never heard these damaging messages and my transgender child hasn’t either.  I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was created in God’s image for a wonderful purpose.  She’s not broken; she has a unique perspective from which to serve the world.   

Imagine if all Christian churches were teaching that all people are beloved, created for a wonderful purpose, and that Jesus is crazy in love with them?  There would be no way to exploit the LGBTQ community or Christian voters, for one thing.  And living out your faith would be about honoring the sacred in others, not ticking boxes on a purity checklist.  My deepest calling is to participate in untangling the Gospel of love from twisted theology which ties people in knots instead of liberates them.  What can you do to create a world where all people belong?  

For more on our story of the lifesaving care my daughter received and how politics affect transgender Texans, click here for my interview on NPR with David Martin Davies.  https://one.npr.org/?sharedMediaId=992563173:992563175&fbclid=IwAR1_JpETJ7ERr3dCIu5bBkzu5tM-170y-tJd2nbduREthXf6zOcYuHAetw4

To watch the trailer for the new documentary, 1946 The Movie, which traces the mistranslation that put the word “homosexual” in the Bible for the first time in 1946, click here.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBYDBzLhI2c

Emotional Whiplash

 It’s taken a bit for me to process how I feel about yesterday.  My daughter and I traveled to our state capitol to testify before the Public Health Committee of the Texas House.  If you’re not aware, Texas has the most anti-LGBTQ bills moving through the process of any state in the US.  This week was a particularly onerous week for hearings on these kinds of bills.  

Some bills aim to make it a criminal offense to get gender affirming healthcare for transgender children or for doctors to provide that treatment.  Other bills punish doctors who provide this care by making it impossible for them to obtain malpractice insurance.  Other bills make it legal for any medical provider (even pharmacists!) to deny care to anyone based on their personal religious, moral, or ethical beliefs.  Proponents of this last bill say the law is “about procedures, not people” but when you ask them to include language that you can’t deny care to a patient based on race, age, disability, religion, gender, identity or orientation, they refuse.  So it is about people.   

Back to the feelings.  All day, I felt both powerful and powerless.   

• Arriving at the capitol to participate in democracy:  POWERFUL!
• Finding no information desk or state employees to help:  powerless.
• Registering to testify against dangerous legislation:  POWERFUL!
• Seeing armed guards with machine guns in the hallways:  powerless.
• Meeting other advocates, parents, and transgender individuals:  POWERFUL!
• Learning they delayed the process so it may go till midnight:  powerless.
• Speaking at a press conference in support of healthcare privacy and equity:  POWERFUL!
• Being heckled by opponents with words and disgusted looks:  powerless.
• Meeting with our affirming state representative:  POWERFUL!
• Seeing a dangerously unaffirming representative lead a male prayer circle:  powerless.
• Dropping off my card with that same dangerous rep and requesting meeting:  POWERFUL!
• Hearing testimony from people who don’t care if my child will be affected:  powerless.
• Giving personal testimony to the committee:  POWERFUL!
• Hearing that testimony is cut off early and my daughter won’t be heard:  powerless.

I was the only person opposing these bills who spoke from a faith perspective.  As I listened to the opposition, they spoke as if they were the moral compass for all people while dismissing the discriminatory healthcare experiences of LGTBQ Texans. 

In my testimony I reminded them that if they feel supporting these bills makes them defenders of the faith, they need to hear this:  the condemnation of LGBTQ people at the hands of Christians makes some want to kill themselves.  If your theology inspires thoughts of suicide, it is not the fruit of the Spirit.  I also proclaimed that my child is created in God’s image and she is not broken.  She has a unique perspective to serve the world for a good purpose ordained by God. 

I was overwhelmed by the feedback and tears from listeners who thanked me for speaking as an affirming Christian.  There is a misperception that Christians are not affirming of their LGBTQ neighbors.  Some aren’t, but many are.  My belief that LGBTQ individuals are sacred and whole isn’t in conflict with my faith but because of my faith.  If you agree, speak up.  When you call or email your elected officials, tell them you are a Christian (or other faith) and you oppose any anti-LGBTQ legislation.  POWERFUL!

For the public testimony on HB1424, (I speak at about 5:08 in the video) link here...  https://tlchouse.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=46&clip_id=20320&fbclid=IwAR1X-g-FYWZiJePgT_X1QJM1MUBSz-v1E8fii7g81Lk9UDKocMHdjfrLPnU

Why We Need the Republican Party

I was five years old when Nixon resigned. I remember sitting with my mom on her bed as she watched a small television on the dresser. I was crying because she was crying. She explains that at the time, she thought Nixon was being unfairly targeted. Later she realized he really was a crook.

My hope is that many Republicans who believe that Trump is being unfairly targeted will later accept the damage he did with his lies and criminal acts. The reason I hope for this is not because I want to be right. I want a functioning Republican party. We need at least two functioning parties to produce the best solutions to our issues. We need two functioning parties to keep either party from becoming far right or left. A Trump Party is not a functioning party.

I don't believe the rioters at the US Capitol last week represent the majority of Republicans in so far as insurrection being an action they would commit. But they do represent a voting block that conservative candidates need in order to get elected. Unfortunately, Republicans can't get elected without fundamentalist Christians and white supremacists and it is killing their party. Republicans haven't won the presidential popular vote in the last 20 years except for W after 9/11. Voters don't like to change presidents during a war. Bottom line is most Americans don't want what they're selling.

I started working in Republican campaigns when I was 11 when my dad became interested in community organizing. I started block walking and by high school, was doing phone banking and worked as a page at many Republican conventions. I met Reagan, HW Bush, and Gov. Clements knew me by name. My parents were passionately moderate and expressed concern when, in the early 80's, conservative Christians started mobilizing around abortion. My dad was particularly concerned but appreciated the help and they were motivated like no other voting block. When he was in charge of the Harris County Republican vacancy committee, he rejected the call for a litmus test for new candidates to determine if they were prolife or prochoice. I can hear him now saying "Donald Trump is a four-flusher!" That was his word for a conman. I will say that I watched one episode of The Apprentice and thought he was a fraud back then.

Anyway, I expect it will take eight to ten years to rebuild the Republican party to something that resembles a functioning democratic republic movement. But, we Democrats will hold it together until then.

The (un)Common Good

My Gen-Z teenager said yesterday that she didn’t want to be a witness to any more historical events. She wants a tasteless, odorless, colorless, plain cheese pizza of a 2021.  I agree.

The past four years have been painful in so many ways.  As the mother of a transgender queer child, watching the Trump administration take over 65 discriminatory actions against LGBTQ Americans has been a stake to my heart.  Watching others support those attacks with their voices and votes, no matter how politely, has been brutal.  But in addition to the impact on our own family, seeing the lack of empathy that has overtaken our culture is shocking. 

The defense of the murder of George Floyd (he had a record).  The defense of babies taken away from their mothers (they shouldn’t have come here).  The resistance to a living wage (just work harder).  The abuse of the planet (business comes first).  The outrage at vandalism of property (lives lost are secondary).  The jaded acceptance of deaths due to covid (it’s the individual’s responsibility).  The lack of concern for others’ safety (I have a right not to mask). The refusal to provide access to healthcare (that’s socialism). The dismissal of the US Capitol rioters (they were imposters).  This has become common and it is not good. 

And it is not pro-life.  All these attitudes lead to death.  More than ever, we know that the position of POTUS is critically important. Some used to say, "the real power lies in Congress and the president is mostly a figurehead." When a president lies about election fraud, millions of people believe him even when all evidence is to the contrary. When a president encourages violence, thousands act, even though it is illegal. When a president uses dehumanizing language, millions lose empathy for their neighbor, even though their religion commands mercy.  For all the railing against radicals – however you define it - this dog eat dog culture is what I find most radical.  

I pray that the next four years, we find our way back to truth, not because we are followers but because we find a part of ourselves that got lost these past four years. The truth is: pursuing the common good, not maintaining our own comfort, is how we make America a more perfect union.  God help us.  

For a well sourced list of the discriminatory actions taken by the Trump administration since January 20, 2017, see https://transequality.org/the-discrimination-administration