by Chesley Hinds
As a queer Texan pursuing the LGBTQ Studies Certificate at UT, the opportunity to apply LGBTQ Studies knowledge as an intern in order to learn about and contribute to the advancement of queer liberation at the state legislative level was important to me. Because I am an undergraduate anthropology major and art history minor with no other internship experience, I had no idea what to expect. And I certainly did not expect the restructuring of the internship prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Texas House LGBTQ Caucus, an official non-partisan caucus within the Texas House of Representatives since January 2019, creates opportunities for Texas Legislators to discuss and address the issues that impact LGBTQIA+ Texans in order to further the goal of equality for all. The caucus functions as a mechanism for spreading awareness and for advocating for social equity and justice, using an intersectional lens.
With the closure of the Legislature in March 2020, I was thrust into a re-imagined intern role, operating in the remote realm of virtual meetups, zoom calls, and socially-distanced legislative work. Working as a caucus intern during the pandemic gave me the space to do more than just learn about the caucus, politics, and advancing LGBTQIA+ rights. This was also a unique chance to contemplate queer resilience in a rapidly changing, physically disconnected world, and to question: How do we form and maintain the community that is so precious to queer folks in this moment? How does one fight for queer rights from their pandemic-era office, or, in my case, their couch? How do we protect queer life and health amidst new threats to queer bodies, heightened anxieties, and ongoing legislative attacks?
Answers to many of these questions came from the two people I worked most closely with during the Fall of 2020, Rep. Mary González and her Chief of Staff, Greer Gregory. Working with Rep. González, the cofounder and chair of the caucus, the first openly pansexual elected official in the U.S., and much more, was a privilege. Mary offers a masterclass in perseverance, authenticity, and hard work. One of the most surprising things to me about the work of the caucus and legislators in general, was the immense amount of labor, as well as emotional and physical stamina that is required to successfully represent the needs of queer Texans, and Texans at large. Alongside Rep. González, Greer was instrumental in making this internship an enriching learning opportunity. She maintained our connection as a team and a community, taught me about how the legislature and political processes work, exposed me to as many opportunities to engage in the work as possible, and, most importantly, offered relentless encouragement and flexibility during these trying times.
My work as an intern was exhilarating because I could engage the fight for queer rights in another way besides taking to the streets, by contributing to the care of our communities at the institutional level through legislative work. My duties included maintaining the caucus’ social media pages, drafting letters in response to constituents, attending and documenting webinars and town halls, researching for the 87th session legislative agenda, and tracking LGBTQIA+ community-related bills that have been introduced for the upcoming session.
Creating connection and awareness through the caucus’ social media presence is imperative to the mission of the caucus, as well as the life and liberty of LGBTQIA+ Texans, especially during an ongoing pandemic. Posts were created to educate about LGTBQIA+ identities, experiences, and issues, but also to spread the word about threats to queer rights and to inform the public of how they can contribute to the work of the caucus. For example, in October, when the Texas State Board of Social Work Examiners voted to allow social workers to turn away clients on the basis of disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity, caucus members swiftly responded by urging the reversal of this decision. We used social media to spread the word, urging others to speak out against the change. After backlash from advocates, legislators, the public, and social workers, the Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council voted to restore protections for LGBTQIA+ Texans and Texans with disabilities.
I also contributed to preparation for the 87th Legislative Session, which began on January 12th 2021, by researching for the caucus’ agenda and scouring the Texas Legislature’s online system to track bills that are both good and bad for the LGBTQIA+ community. Much of my research aimed to produce a ban on the so-called LGBTQIA+ “panic defense” in which an assault or murder victim’s sexual or gender identity is blamed for the crime; a repeal of Texas’ laws that forbid sex and health education teachers from discussing LGBTQIA+ identities in a positive light; and legislation that will end the prohibition of name changes for incarcerated folks. During this research I was astonished to discover to what lengths some Texas Legislators have gone to write LGBTQIA+ oppression into law. As a queer person who was taught to hate and hide themselves in Texas’ public schools and who understands how harmful these policies can be, it was disappointing to learn, for example, that Texas’ Health and Safety Code explicitly requires teachers to inform students that homosexuality is “not an acceptable lifestyle and is a criminal offense,” despite the inaccuracies of these statements. Learning things like this made me even more grateful for the caucus and for the opportunity to contribute to their vital work.
Bill tracking also offers a source of hope, as the caucus members have already begun to put their session agenda into action and have filed at least fourteen bills to advance LGBTQIA+ rights. These include, among others, HB73 which would ban the LGBTQIA+ “panic defense,” HB560 which would end the practice of so-called “conversion therapy” on minors in the state, HB726 which would ban non-consensual sex-assignment surgeries on intersex children, HB191 which would prohibit housing discrimination on the basis of one’s gender identity/expression, and HB188 which is a broader intersectional anti-discrimination bill.
But then there is HB68, a dangerous bill authored by Rep. Toth that would ban gender-affirming care for transgender children, would define gender-affirming care as acts of child abuse, and would define “sex organs” as the determinant of a person’s “biological sex” or gender. It is devastating to witness the use of continued attacks like this on transgender Texans as a political strategy, but it is comforting to know that the caucus is monitoring these attacks and combatting them with all of their resources.
I am proud of the caucus and the work I have been able to do for them. I am also very grateful to the LGBTQ Studies Program at UT for allowing me this opportunity. This internship has shaped me as a person and further encouraged me to pursue law as a tool in the fight for LGBTQIA+ liberation. I have been offered the chance to continue as an intern with Rep. González in Spring 2021, which I gladly accepted, and am excited to continue the work and experience working through session. Lastly, I wanted to include a list of ways in which readers may contribute to that work and to the march towards social justice and equality in Texas:
- Follow the social media accounts of the caucus and its members to stay up to date on the work they are doing and to receive information to educate yourself on queer issues and how you can help
- Vote for pro-equality candidates in elections at the local, state, and federal levels-you can check your registration status or register to vote here: https://teamrv-mvp.sos.texas.gov/MVP/mvp.do
- Let the caucus know what sort of work you would like to see done by contacting us through the Caucus’ website or social media pages
- Find out who represents you and urge them to support pro-equality legislation and to oppose harmful legislation, like HB68, using this tool: https://wrm.capitol.texas.gov/home
Chesley Hinds is a UT senior majoring in anthropology. Chesley was the LGBTQ Studies Intern at the Texas Capitol in spring 2020.
