Latino transgender Texans protest bathroom bill at state Capitol

Monica Roberts, from Houston, is the first speaker at a rally in protest of SB3 and SB4 taking place on the steps of the Capitol in Austin on August 4, 2017. Monica Roberts, from Houston, is the first speaker at a rally in protest of SB3 and SB4 taking place on the steps of the Capitol in Austin on August 4, 2017. Photo: Tom Reel, Staff / San Antonio Express-News Photo: Tom Reel, Staff / San Antonio Express-News Image 1 of / 12 Caption Close Latino transgender Texans protest bathroom bill at state Capitol 1 / 12 Back to Gallery

More than 75 people waved blue flags and neon-colored signs trumpeting transgender rights on the Capitol steps, but the focus of Friday’s protest against the so-called “bathroom bill” centered on the people who were absent.

Isa Noyola read the name of each of the 16 transgender women killed since the start of the year. As she read each name, the crowd yelled back “presente.”

“The reasoning they are wanting to pass this legislation is the same reason why transwomen experience violent murders. It is the stigma, it is the hatred against who we are as people,” said Noyola, director at the Transgender Law Center in California who traveled to Austin for the rally. “In fighting against this legislation, it is fighting for our lives.”

The protest caps off a week marked by near-daily rallies on the Capitol steps — most of which focused on the bill that would require people to use public bathrooms that align with the gender on their birth certificate. The bill sailed through the Senate, but remains stalled in the House with less than two weeks left in the special session.

Monica Roberts, who wore a bright yellow skirt-suit, said Republican lawmakers pursued the bill with the idea of getting an “easy win,” but should expect a big fight.

“When you have people like the trans community who have had to fight tooth and nail just to exist, we’re not going to roll over for legislative repression,” she said to whistles from the crowd.

The rally, organized by immigrant and transgender activist groups, called on lawmakers to abandon Senate Bill 3, which critics say discriminates against transgender people. A day earlier, pastors led a rally in the same spot pushing passage of the bill. They argued men could take advantage of the change to go into women’s restrooms and locker rooms.

Noyola said the issues of immigration and transgender rights often intersect. That was expressed Friday, as the group also protested a measure Gov. Greg Abbott already signed into law against so-called sanctuary cities. Critics contend the law, which ensures local police officers have power to question detainees about their immigration status, will lead to racial profiling and an erosion of trust among the immigrant and law enforcement communities. Abbott said the change is needed to keep Texans safe.