Nationwide Opposition Swells Against Texas 'Bathroom Bill' Targeting Transgender People

AUSTIN, TX — National backlash against a "bathroom bill" being considered by Texas lawmakers — seeking to ban transgender individuals from using public restrooms matching their sexual identities — continues to swell, from quarters as far-ranging as business interests to civil rights activists to celebrities and sports figures.

The latest entrants in the critics' circle as GOP lawmakers push hard for the bill's passage are formidable. Both the NBA and NFL have voiced their disapproval of the bill. On Friday, the former warned conservative lawmakers their state could be overlooked for future events if the bill targeting transgender peoples passes in the Texas Legislature. Texas has hosted three All-Star games since 2006 — lucrative sports stagings that also serve to highlight the state for tourism purposes to a national audience.

The professional basketball league's warnings come a week after the NFL issued a similar not-too-thinly-veiled threat to Texas should the bill pass. “The NFL embraces inclusiveness,” league spokesman Brian McCarthy said in a prepared statement on Feb. 10. “We want all fans to feel welcomed at our events, and NFL policies prohibit discrimination based on age, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, or any other improper standard.”

GOP lawmakers in Texas are crafting their version of a so-called "bathroom bill" after a similar effort in North Carolina, which requires people to use bathrooms corresponding to the sex listed on their birth certificates. North Carolina's House Bill 2 (formally the Public Facilities Privacy and Security Act) prompted the league to move the All-Star Game out of that state that resulted in the loss of untold millions in revenue to the state.

Celebrities have also joined the fray, with a letter signed by more than 140 public figures circulating that condemns the Texas efforts at a transgender bathroom ban. Organized by The Ally Coalition, Equality Texas and GLAAD, the mass protest includes musicians, actors writers and artists that includes Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande, Troye Sivan, Britney Spears, Kesha, Julianne Moore, Laverne Cox, Tegan and Sara, Amy Poehler, Janelle Monáe, Sia, and Jennifer Lawrence.

“Texas Senate Bill 6 (SB6) and House Bill 1362 (HB1362) would criminalize and restrict the simple act of a transgender person using the restroom that aligns with their gender identity – a denial of basic human dignity,” the letter reads. “Other legislation in Texas would force teachers to out LGBTQ students to their parents — a violation of the trust built between kids and educators.”

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is the unofficial pitchman for the state's bathroom bill, in recent months taking to the national airwaves to promote the idea. His full court press in defense of the proposed legislation has been met with mixed results, with even outlets friendly to the Republicans questioning the bill's motive.

Still, the legislation is being championed by Gov. Greg Abbott, who angrily lashed out at the NFL for what her perceives as meddling on their in Texas affairs.

“The NFL is walking on thin ice right here," Abbott said on Glenn Beck's radio show on Tuesday. "The NFL needs to concentrate on playing football and get the heck out of politics. “We don’t care what the NFL thinks, and certainly what their political policies are, because they are not a political arm of the state of Texas or the United States of America."

Abbott wasn't done: “For some low-level NFL adviser to come out and say that they are going to micromanage and try to dictate to the state of Texas what types of policies we’re going to pass in our state, that’s unacceptable. They need to learn their place in the United States, which is to govern football, not politics."

The governor later took to Twitter to mock the NFL for its critique, reminding followers how the league benched Tom Brady over "Deflategate." And looked what happened there, he said, referencing Brady's recent Super Bowl victory. So there, NFL.

The latest flurry of attacks on the efforts in Texas to regulate bathroom use come after The Texas Association of Business released a report in December detailing the potential loss of $8.5 billion annually with the loss of some 185,000 jobs should the bill pass.

That, too, left conservative lawmakers unfazed and the bathroom bill remains on a trajectory toward passage. Normally not a fan of PolitiFact, a newspaper fact-checking service that debunks politicians' claims with the benefit of research and data, Patrick recently embraced its assessment questioning TAB's revenue loss estimates.

More recently, mayors of 11 Texas cities gathered in downtown Austin also came out against the move for fear of economic repercussions. Meeting during a downtown Austin lunch meeting to discuss legislative priorities, the mayors agreed the transgender bathroom bill threatens the tourism economy that helps lower taxes for residents, the Austin American-Statesman reported.

Of course, tallying up the cost of a bathroom bill in Texas is still in the realm of conjecture. But one thing's certain: A growing number of people are voicing their disapproval of the state's efforts.

One of those critics, Lady Gaga, was featured during the recent Super Bowl's halftime concert played in Houston when she exercised restraint in not voicing her political views. But given the state's ongoing efforts to pass a bathroom bill regulating transgender use, the cordiality between Lady Gaga and Texas could erode into a bad romance.

>>> Above, official photo of Gov. Greg Abbott via State of Texas