Over the weekend, Rep. Colin Allred (D-TX) attended the 2023 Black Tie Dinner in Dallas, photos he was tagged in on Instagram show. The event, which first took place in 1982, has been the largest fundraising dinner for the LGBTQ+ community in the nation, with some concerning groups being beneficiaries of the event.
Among the beneficiares listed on the event's website include groups such as the Equality Texas Foundation, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation, and Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas.
Equality Texas is one such organization with a focus on so-called "trans youth." The organization has a "coalition website" at www.txtranskids.org, as mentioned under the section on "Resources for Parents of Texas Trans Youth." Users to the website are also invited to share stories of "Discrimination in UIL Sports in Texas," and it's worth noting the organization supports biological boys playing on girls' sports team, under the label of "#letkidsplay." There's also an issue section on "Protecting LGBTQ+ Youth."
The organization has also come out in support of lawsuits challenging S.B. 14, which prohibits minor children from undergoing procedures involving gender transition and gender reassignment. The law went into effect on September 1 of this year.
On July 13, Equality Texas put out a press release from the All in for Equality Coalition, full of oft-used talking points about "trans youth." As the release read in part:
In recent years trans Texans have sustained an assault unmatched in the history of our state. This is a human rights crisis. We, the All in for Equality coalition, are committed to pursuing every path to justice and full equality for transgender and LGBQ+ people in this state. We affirm our solidarity with the trans youth in this state who deserve access to clinically effective and medically necessary health care. Yesterday, the ACLU of Texas, ACLU national, Lambda Legal, Transgender Law Center, along with Scott Douglass & McConnico LLP, and Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP filed a lawsuit challenging S.B. 14, which would deny medically necessary health care to trans youth. We unequivocally support the actions of our legal partners in the pursuit of justice for trans youth.
...
When we say lives are on the line, we are not exaggerating. Among recently passed legislation, S.B. 14 places the most lives at risk. Trans folks deserve to have the health care they need readily available, and to participate in decisions that allow them to live their fullest lives. Banning health care that is supported by the overwhelming majority of medical associations puts young people in danger. It is an unjust, unconstitutional law that does not reflect the true values of the majority of Texans, who overwhelmingly believe that their LGBTQIA+ siblings should be protected from discrimination by the state, not targeted by our state leaders.
What those like this coalition refer to as "medically necessary health care" for minors actually involves hormone therapy and the host of negative health side effects, as well as genital mutilation and sterilization. Further, minors who have gone through transitions have come to regret that decision when they're adults.
In February, Jamie Reed, a former case manager at the Washington University Transgender Center at St. Louis Children’s Hospital came forward with an alarming report in The Free Press about the irreversible damage done to children who thought they might be transgender.
The link that the press release provides directs to another agenda-driven group, GLAAD, to indicate support for what they say is "[b]anning healh care." The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has since indicated a willingness to review guidelines for "trans youth."
The press release also speaks to supposed views of "the majority of Texans" when it comes to the matter, linking to the American Values Atlas PRRI. The map shows that by 75-25, Texans support the vague label of "LGBTQ Nondiscrimination Laws." When it comes to the real heart of the matter, though, polls show that Texans agree with S.B.14.
According to a poll conducted in January by the University of Houston Hobby School of Public Affairs, 57 percent of respondents "support legislation that would classify as child abuse any gender-affirming care sought by parents from medical or mental health professionals."
The poll was conducted Jan 9-19 with 1,200 adult Texans and a confidence interval of plus or minus 2.8 percentage points.
Similar concerns exist with HRC and its support for "healthcare" for "trans youth." The website has resources on "LGBTQ+ Youth" as well as a "Transgender" section. In June, HRC declared a national state of emergency, expressing concern with "anti-LGBTQ+" laws that are leading to an "escalating crisis." A report put out at the time mentioned the group was particularly worried about transgender Americans, including "transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming youth."
Such laws of concern include laws banning biological boys from competing with girls in sports; "gender-affirming care bans," as well as health concerns from puberty blockers and hormone treatment; and laws that require people to use the bathroom, locker room, fitting room, etc. that corresponds with their biological sex.
For the first time ever, we're declaring a national state of emergency as LGBTQ+ Americans face extremist attempts to roll back our rights. It's more important than ever we have the necessary resources to stay safe no matter where we are. https://t.co/EcnZgqDDCp pic.twitter.com/q0axEWCM1N
— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) June 6, 2023
The HRC spoke out against a House Judiciary Hearing that featured a de-transitioner, Chole Cole, in July. The group issued a press release full of problematic and devoid of facts from start to finish, ironically titled "Setting the Record Straight On Gender Affirming Care As Extremist Leaders on the House Judiciary Committee Prepare to Convene Hearing Designed to Attack Trans Youth, Spread Misinformation About Transgender Healthcare."
Then there's Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas. Planned Parenthood already performs more abortions than any other entity in the country, and has been hit with numerous scandals, including in Texas with a Medicare fraud trial. This particular affiliate has also been hit with scandals over harvesting baby parts. Planned Parenthood is not only engaged in the abortion industry, but in peddling hormone treatments to vulnerable patients, including autistic teenagers, and even without a thorough check-up beforehand.
This very Planned Parenthood affiliate notes on its website that "[i]f you are eligible, Planned Parenthood staff may be able to start hormone therapy as early as the first visit" and indicates that "Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas follows an informed consent treatment model, which means our patients will not be required to provide an approval letter from a therapist to begin hormone therapy."
Although the website notes further down that "Currently, Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas does not provide Gender Affirming Hormone Therapy for minors," that does not mean there aren't concerns, including and especially with partnering groups.
In late September, the affiliate's X account shared a thread of posts on how to "support LGBTQIA+ youth," tagging those groups mentioned above.
Allred attended the event not only as he's running for higher office as a supposed moderate to challenge Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) in next year's election. He's also doing so as the culture wars heat up with minor children being subjected to gender ideology not just through sex education curriculum that is not age appropriate and has an agenda. Worse, children are being preyed upon by such groups for hormone therapy and the negative health side effects that come with it, as well as irreversible procedures that involve genital mutilation and sterilization.
— Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas (@PPGreaterTX) September 25, 2023