Texas has adopted some of the strictest gender-affirming transgender restrictions in the nation. And the leader of a trans advocacy group says it has created a "dystopian" nightmare.

Emmett Schelling, executive director with Transgender Education Network of Texas, said a ruling by the state Supreme Court last week that allows Senate Bill 14 to take effect this month - a law that bans trans youths from receiving medical care and treatment for gender dysphoria. Schelling believes court rulings have become political.

"We've trusted the courts to hold and honor impartiality but unfortunately what we see is the highest court in our state really acting, in my opinion, in deeply bad faith," Schelling said.

The Texas Supreme Court did not provide any written explanation for allowing the law to remain in effect. Starting in 2022, Texas Governor Greg Abbott encouraged a law that would criminalize gender affirmation as a form of child abuse. Since then, Texas lawmakers have introduced dozens of anti-trans bills targeting transgender youths.

Schelling said new laws in Texas are separating families. In some cases, one parent is staying behind for their job while another parent is leaving to protect the medical needs of their transgender child. He believes lawmakers and courts are sowing seeds of distrust, which at the end of the day is harming children and youth.

"We have providers fleeing, we have families fleeing," Schelling explained. "How do these kids trust the judicial system? How do these kids trust the state when this is the reality of what the state has done to them?"

Meanwhile, a federal judge in Texas granted a temporary restraining order last week to block another bill targeting the LGBTQ community from taking effect last Friday. Senate Bill 12 bans any performance that could be perceived as "sexual" when a minor is present and on public property, and proposes criminal penalties for artists, business owners and others accused of violating it.

CORRECTION: The AAUW of Indiana co-president is Sherry Watkins. An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated her last name as Watson. (2:45 p.m. MDT, March 12, 2024))

Today is Equal Pay Day for women in Indiana and elsewhere, marking the amount of time female employees must work every year to catch up with their male counterparts' salaries.

Currently, the average female worker is paid 84 cents for every dollar earned by a man working in a similar occupation, according to the National Committee on Pay Equity. However, women in Indiana may have to work even longer - their average pay is only 77 cents on the dollar.

Sherry Watkins, co-president of the American Association of University Women of Indiana, points out that pay inequity ultimately affects more than just working women.

"One way to do that would be to ensure that women are making as much money as men in all fields. Although that is true in some fields, it's certainly not in all. It affects not only women but also their families and, therefore, the economy," Watkins said.

Each year, the Committee on Pay Equity calculates how many days women must work to gain parity and designates an Equal Pay Day based on its calculations. Statistics show that at the current rate of closure, the average woman's pay will not equal that of men until 2059.

While unequal pay is illegal under federal law, Watkins said the problem still exists, and the pay gap widens considerably for women of color. Statistics indicate Latina women average 52 cents per dollar, Native American women make 59 cents, and Black women earn 66 cents. Progress is still slow, she said.

"When I first became aware of it, women were making 59 cents to the dollar to a man, whereas now it's 84 cents. So, it has improved, but it's certainly not where it should be," Watkins argued.

She added said many factors contribute to earnings differences, including age, number of hours worked, presence of children, and education. She noted part of AAUW's mission is to work with lawmakers and employers to ensure women are paid fairly and have equal opportunities in the workplace.

get more stories like this via email

get more stories like this via email