Texas lawmakers, they're
considering a bill that will change
the sate's child abuse law.
And they would make gender
affirming care illegal in the state
basically.
And it also punish parents who help
out their children in these medical
conditions to make sure they live
a happier life.
So, let's jump
right into it from NBC News.
The Senate Bill 1646
will make it a crime for
parents to allow their transgender
children to undergo a sex change.
The bill heard in committee in
the Texas Senate would redefine
child abuse.
To include administering,
supplying or consenting to provide
puberty suppression drugs,
hormone replacement therapy.
Surgical or medical procedures to
anyone under 18 quote for
purposes of gender transitioning or
gender reassignment.
The measure would make such acts of
felony, alongside physical and
sexual abuse and sex trafficking.
Although it does carve out
an exception for surgical
procedures for intersex children.
Parents who violate the proposed
law could face two to ten years in
prison and have their child put in
foster care and
be open to civil litigation.
So it's pretty serious with where
they're going to.
And there was one particular mother
that sat down in front of some of
these lawmakers in Texas.
And In several parts, I want
to get a good portion of this but
this first part where she sat
down and spoke with him.
She talked about their priorities
and how screwed up they are.
But she's ready to fight.
Let's listen.
>> I am terrified to be here today.
I'm terrified because I'm
the parent of a transgender child.
And I'm afraid that by
speaking here today my words will
be used against me,
should the SB 1646 or SB 1311 Pass.
And my sweet son whom I love more
than life itself will be taken
from me.
But here I am, I want you to know
how hard it is for
me to be here today.
Not only am I terrified for
the future of my family.
But I'm a small business owner with
two children at home, who are still
going to public school 100% online.
I have a Million better things to
do than be here today.
Like rebuilding my business and
supervising my children's online
learning.
And repairing the damage that
occurred to my home when
the electric grid failed.
But this committee and the the
bill's authors, somehow deems my
son's private medical care.
More important than COVID relief
for women owned small businesses,
or making public schools safer or
fixing are caught.
Honestly, these bills are a huge
waste of time and tax dollars.
But we're all here, so
let's do this.
>> That's Amber Briggle.
And she is making the case for
exactly how badly this is.
This has been thrown out of whack.
I want to go to the next clip
before we jump into heavy talk of
the three.
Where then she talks about how
her son has responded and
how she came to terms.
And figured out the best way to
approach these things and
what it may do to him.
Let's listen to that part.
>> When my son was four years old,
he asked me if scientists could
turn him into a boy.
I didn't understand then that he
was trans.
I only knew that he wasn't like
most girls his age and that
something inside him was hurting.
Like many of you,
I thought he was asking for
surgery, and I freaked out.
But after doing research, I came to
understand that gender affirmation
surgery isn't done on minors.
And that there's a whole array of
medical options available for
transgender youth.
Including hormone blockers which
are 100% reversible, are not new.
And are clinically proven to save
the lives of the trans children
taking them.
Today my son is 13 years old, the
most popular boy in seventh grade.
And loved by our friends, family,
our church and our community.
This is possible because he has
parents who affirm him and
provide him the support he needs.
Taking that support away from him
or worse,
taking him away from his family.
Because we broke the law to provide
that support will have devastating,
and heartbreaking consequences.
That last part really spoke to me
even more talking about,
we're looking out for
the welfare of the child.
Because their parents
are apparently irresponsible and
are abusing them.
So let's take them away, jail,
their parents, and
then they'll have a better life.
This kid who is saying he's a boy,
and then you take his parents away
when he's finally starting
to feel comfortable.
And then charge them and take them
away, send them into foster care
because that's a great place for
him to be after all this.
It's I wonder if that spoke to them
because there's a lot of times
people like this don't
pay attention to the people that
they're actually affecting.
They're just worried about
the people that are paying them or
the people that can help
them get reelected.
So I don't know how much they
actually heard what she had
to say but that really spoke.
I want to hear what you guys had to
think about her testimony- >> Well,
of course they didn't hear
a word of it.
They don't care at all,
they all go to Ford anyway.
Same thing happened in Florida.
I want you to imagine the scenario
where this bill plays out.
Where they find that a parent has
been giving hormone blockers to
their trans kid.
And they ripped the kid away
from the parents screaming and
crying and bring him to foster care
then they imprison the parents.
This is from the party that says
there for freedom.
And this is from the party that
says, they don't want big
government, and government telling
you what do you with your lives.
This is from the party who says,
I don't even want to wear a mask.
And the government is tyranny,
because they're asking me to
wear a mask to protect the health
of our fellow human beings.
That's too tyrannical.
But I will rip your kids away from
you, If you use your own judgment.
No, I'm going to substitute my
judgment as a politician for
your judgment as a parent.
And then I'm going to call that
what, freedom?
Nah, nah, they don't favor freedom
is a party that is draconian,
tyrannical, based on fear and
hatred.
They hate those kids.
They hate those families.
And it's really revolting to
look at.
And so, and I am so disappointed
myself because as I was reading
these stories in the beginning.
I believed for half a second that
they weren't completely lying.
And then as I read the facts, and
I saw her,
this particular parents testimony,
which is so moving.
I realise now surgeries aren't
allowed.
So the hormone blockers are,
are temporary and can be, you know,
undone easily.
And so,
what would I do with my kid?
I don't know.
It would depend on thousand
different factors.
But I'm not going to substitute my
judgement for parents I haven't
seen in kids I haven't seen for
their judgement.
And tell them how to
lead their lives?
I would never do that,
because I'm an American.
And I believe in freedom,
unlike all of these Republicans,
who don't believe any of it.
>> It's such reckless legislation
that reflects nothing of
the emotion.
And the circumstance that
that mother so
beautifully laid out for them.
And she did so
beautifully lay it out for them.
That I think it's a tragedy within
a tragedy that those lawmakers
don't listen.
I mean, if you were to cast someone
in a film about this topic.
And you were to give them
that dialogue,
it would be almost too good.
They would say jet with,
people like that don't exist.
She expressed the emotional pain,
the circumstance that her family
is in.
And she even juxtaposed it against
that problem that's existed in
Texas regarding the electrical grid
and COVID-19.
So in other words,
she's contextualize it in
a contemporary way.
You guys are worried about screwing
up lives and
it's not even screwing them up.
It's destroying lives.
As Janka said,
You're jailing parents you're going
to destroy the life of this child.
All of this while you're you've
been delinquent and doing
the things that Texans really need.
It's a It's horrifying frankly,
it's horrifying but so
well described by that emotional
parent, that was a really tough
thing to watch.
And I can only hope that some sense
prevails, I don't know.
I mean, it's yet
more lunacy from the right way.
>> Well think about this way Mark.
26 state legislators and
introduced 41 bills.
This is going on in just the first
two months of 2021, it's April,
just the first two months
of this year.
To exclude trans youth from teams
that align with their gender
identity.
We've seen this battle going on.
Three such bills passed in March
alone with proponents from
the laws.
Claiming they're needed to ensure
fair competition we've been
seeing this going on.
Now this is where the potentially
surprising part comes in.
You guys.
So according to a new poll
conducted by PBS NewsHour,
NPR Marist.
66% of national adults oppose
legislation that will prohibit
transition related medical care for
minors.
So they oppose this kinds of
legislation when data was broken
down along party lines,
more surprises.
70% of Republicans said they oppose
this kind of legislation and
69% of Democrats, while 64% of
independents also said the same.
Lastly, in the poll,
67% of national adults said that
they were opposed to legislation.
Prohibiting transgender student
athletes from joining sports teams,
that one I just mentioned now
there's going through many states.
69% of Democrats are opposed to
this kind of legislation
while 66% of Republicans and
67% of independents also said
the same thing.
Not only is this culture war type
of legislation that Republicans
are putting forward in these state
legislators.
Against what is happening
there states but nationwide.
So this is pretty much across
the board.
Are they listening to their
constituents?
Can they claim all yeah,
no my gun toting we talked about
a mass shootings just a minute ago.
My gun toting constituents are like
hell no, don't take my guns.
Are they like hell no, go ahead and
Implement this legislation.
That will take children from their
parents because of who they are and
the parents are listening.
That's where we're transferring
over this to now?
No, it doesn't matter what
polling says.
When bad legislation is put
forward, just to be put forward to,
I don't know.
Get some kind of points that you
think you're going to win
on fox news.
Or wherever else you're trying to
go on cable news to get your
political points scored.
You just not listening to
constituents.
It's just
blatantly what they've said this
this goes along those lines when it
comes to raising minimum wage,
things with COVID relief.
All those things are always
extremely popular.
But certain politicians like yeah,
my constituents said no,
don't even say that.
They just say that's not what
Americans are about.
It goes back to saying we're
the virtuous, we're the moral ones,
we're the Christians.
When none of those things match up
with the actions that you take.
You just say a lot of things and
then do horrific things on
the sideline.
Not giving a damn about what
Americans and
the people who voted you and even
Republicans have to say about it.
>> I do get to connection to
business and to donors.
When it comes to things like
minimum wage and some of the other
things that you were speaking of.
But Jack I asked you
because I don't get it either.
What is the political calculus
that they have done?
That puts them at odds as jr says,
With so much of their constituency?
It's so it's this is a this is
legislation that's not really
supportive.
>> Yeah, this this poll is actually
a bit stunning.
So let me explain a couple of
possibilities here.
Now, look,
there's some percentage chance that
a lot of Republicans just didn't
understand the question.
Because more Republicans saying
that they're against these anti
trans bills than Democrats,
just doesn't add up.
Republican voters not that bright.
So it's possible they misunderstood
the question.
I'm being honest, okay.
Now Despite that, I'm going to give
them benefit of the doubt and
assume that they
understood the question.
And, and probably the I hope,
I hope fingers crossed.
I'm rooting for them.
The majority of them did understand
the question.
So let's take it at face value that
this is this poll is real.
Well, then you think, my God.
First, as I just proved to you,
I love beating up on
Republican voters.
Everybody else in media walks on
eggshells.
My God. Don't say anything
about the voters.
We'll lose our ratings.
I don't care,
they're on most issues,
they're awful.
But on this one if this is true,
holy cow, they're not that bad at
all, that in fact, they're the same
as Democrats, and Independents.
So that's great news, great news.
And by the way,
thank you Republican voters for
being open-minded, and
actually believe in freedom,
if these results are true.
Okay, I'm happy to have that.
That's wonderful that, right?
So why are the politicians
doing this?
There's almost no money involved so
that is not the answer in this
particular case.
And, and it turns out,
the majority have their
own Homebuilders are against it.
Well, the only thing I can think of
guys is and
this is these stats are in my book.
That is going to come out at
some point now you could preorder
it now at Justice is coming
book.com, okay?
When they did a study of
legislators, both Republican and
Democrat, and ask them what they
think their constituents think
It was dramatic findings,
the politicians and their staff,
all assumed that the voters were
way more conservative than
they actually were.
Even, and it's really interesting
to Democratic politicians to their
like eyes and centre right country,
I got a probably hate transcript.
They don't actually look at
the polls.
Don't it's amazing.
They just assume because of
the media that the country is
massively right wing.
So it's possible that the these
republican politicians are making
a mistake.
But the last possibility Lee is
look, the country is basically run
by about 25% of the country.
That's the most right wing people
in the country.
Because all you got to do is
get 51% of the Republican primary.
And the people will get 51% of
republican primary when
the Republican primary.
And then the red districts which
unfortunately, because of our
the way that our system is set up.
For example, in the Senate, they're
more likely to be red states right?
With less people in them but
more representation, so
it's another issue.
But at the end of the day, if you
could just get 25.1% of the country
of the electorate to vote for you.
That's it, that's all you need, and
then you'll have power for
the rest of the time.
So they do not represent the 75% of
the other voters.
They constantly represent the most
right wing, the most conservative
25% of the country.
And that's probably where the core
of this is coming from.
And it is across the country.
It's not just Texas,
Florida passed a similar law.
It's in that cases the ban,
trans girls from participating in
girls athletics.
And so, you know, they make these
case about, they're going to break
the girl's records and stuff.
>> Yeah, >> No,
that 98% of it is people who just
want to be part of the community.
And they want to play volleyball
and they want to run track and
field and they're just kids, right?
And they took that freedom
away from them too.
Representive Omari Hardy,
who's a good legislator down there
made an impassionate speech.
Saying, hey,
you say the will of the majority,
but that doesn't excuse anything.
That will of the majority would
also I've taken my rights away.
My parents' rights is my
parents are gay.
And it would have taken their
rights way to representative Hardy
is African American, and
they have in the past,
taken my rights away, etc.
But in this case,
it turns out it's not even
the world the majority were ruled.
nixing is talking about a silent
minority, or sorry,
silent majority.
Now we have a very loud minority of
right wingers that unfortunately
rule this country.
And by the way,
last part of that Florida bill was.
They added that they need to do
genital inspection of the girls to
make sure they're not trans.
Guaranteed the first people that
raise their hands to do those
general inspection of kids is
going to be Republicans.
So that's the kind of sick party.
The Republican Party has become.