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yesterday

Texas Senate Sends Bill Defining Man and Woman by Biology to Governor

If Gov. Abbott signs the measure, the law would lock official records to birth-assigned sex, overriding existing gender-marker changes.

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Protestors chant in the hall as Lt. Governor Dan Patrtick announces legislation by Senator Lois Kolkhorst (R-Brenham) concerning bathroom access rules in Texas on January 5, 2017.
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A person holds a transgender pride flag during a rainstorm at the 'Trans Day of Visibility Rally' hosted by the Christopher Street Project on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. on March 31, 2025.

Overview

  • The Texas Senate approved House Bill 229 in a 20-11 party-line vote, sending the measure to Governor Abbott’s desk for final approval.
  • HB 229 strictly defines a woman as an individual with reproductive organs to produce ova and a man as someone whose organs are configured to fertilize those ova.
  • The proposal mandates that state documents display only the sex assigned at birth, potentially invalidating court-ordered updates to gender markers.
  • Supporters contend the definitions will protect single-sex spaces and athletic fairness; critics decry it as state-sanctioned discrimination against transgender and nonbinary Texans.
  • Authored by GOP Rep. Ellen Troxclair using model legislation from Independent Women’s Voice, the law would take effect on September 1, 2025 if signed.