First with signs, then with dance party, dozens hold pro-LGBT rallies

Feb. 24--First was the protest, then came the freakout.

Dozens of people gathered Thursday afternoon in front of the Capitol to protest the state's transgender bathroom bill and recent White House actions that protesters said threaten the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.

In the evening, a second group mounted a different kind of protest at the Governor's Mansion, where signs and chants were replaced by colorful neon and animal-print clothes, dancing and full-blast music outside the gates.

Roughly 50 people congregated at Congress Avenue and 11th Street in front of the Capitol for the first protest, which opposed a recent move by the White House to ax guidelines protecting transgender children's bathroom access in public schools. Several of the protesters at the rally said they came in support of a specific transgender child in their lives, who would need adults' help to testify against the decision.

"We now have a president who is not supportive of the fair and equal treatment of transgender kids -- that's the bad news," said CEO Chuck Smith of Equality Texas, one of the LGBT groups who organized the rally.

On Wednesday, Trump administration officials announced they would rescind guidelines established under President Barack Obama that directed public schools to allow transgender students to use the bathroom coinciding with their gender identity in compliance with Title IX, a federal law banning discrimination on the basis of sex. Obama's guidelines were established in May.

The protesters at Thursday's rally argued the lack of the guidelines would leave transgender children vulnerable to discrimination from school administrators and government officials.

"Remember, this is not a choice for a trans kid; you don't wake up one morning and decide you want to be a boy," said Meghan Stabler, a trans woman who is on the board of directors for the Human Rights Campaign.

Smith also said the rally was meant to protest Texas' Senate Bill 6, known as the transgender bathroom bill. It would ban public schools and government buildings from allowing transgender people to use the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity. It also would overturn city and county ordinances that require transgender-friendly bathrooms, although businesses would be free to adopt transgender bathroom policies.

When the sun began to set, a second group of people hosted an event outside the Governor's Mansion dubbed "Queer Dance Freakout," which was part gay pride celebration and part protest. About 100 people showed up to take issue with the transgender bathroom bill, state lawmakers' efforts to limit same-sex spousal benefits and recent federal immigration arrests.

"More so than a protest, this is a celebration of the queer community," said Jeremy von Stilb, 33. "We want to build closer bonds as we realize what the next steps need to be to fight the laws coming up in the legislature. Austin should know the queer community is going to show up where needed, and we're going to stand up for our transgender friends and immigrant rights. We believe in equality for all."

Also Thursday, about 100 Texans aged 18 to 29 met at the Capitol to press lawmakers to oppose SB 6 by dropping off "bathroom passes" at the offices of several Republicans and asking staff members to identify which bathroom they should use under the bill.

"Following those visits, we will be stationed outside the Capitol restrooms making sure folks understand what this discriminatory legislation is all about," said Rae Martinez, an organizer for Texas Rising, a Texas Freedom Network program.

The group also opposed restrictions to abortion rights and barriers to voting while pressing for bills that require sex education courses to include medically accurate information on contraceptives and that extend anti-discrimination protection for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Texans.

"We will remind them that we will not be silenced but that we will hold them accountable for their actions and urge them to be on the right side of history," Emma Brockway, a Texas State University junior, said during a news conference kicking off the Texas Rising office visits.

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