Texas warned of backlash over transgender bathroom bill
AUSTIN, Texas — Texas is flirting with losing major sporting events like North Carolina did, Dallas civic leaders warned Wednesday as they urged Republican lawmakers to stand down on a proposal that would require transgender people to use bathrooms corresponding to their sex at birth.
The issue was already stirring heated debate on the second day of the legislative session. A bestselling author has snubbed a state honour over the bill and a GOP legislator tried to implement the restrictions on bathrooms in the Capitol building. Texas has no transgender lawmakers, and state Rep. Matt Schaefer ultimately dropped the idea.
Schaefer’s attempted rule change was a taste of the likely bruising fight ahead over bathroom regulations. The bill is akin to one passed last year by North Carolina that led to significant fallout, including companies cancelling expansion plans in the state, the NCAA moving championship games elsewhere and the NBA moving next month’s All-Star Game out of Charlotte.
Texas is often picked to host major sporting events, including the Super Bowl in Houston next month, the NCAA women’s Final Four in Dallas in March and the NCAA men’s Final Four in San Antonio in 2018. Phillip Jones, president of the Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau, said he doesn’t think leagues will hesitate to steer big sporting events elsewhere if Texas goes the way of North Carolina.