Texas is pushing a new bill — ‘House Bill 3817’ — that could actually make it illegal for transgender people to be honest about who they are.
If this thing passes, trans folks in Texas could face up to two years in jail and a $10,000 fine just for telling their employer or a government official their real gender identity. The bill is part of a string of anti-trans moves since Donald Trump returned to office in January.
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Activists and civil rights groups are already calling it out, saying it’s a direct attack on trans people’s privacy, safety, and basic rights.
Texas bill could criminalize trans people for revealing their gender
A two-year prison sentence and a $10,000 fine could be slapped on members of the trans community in Texas if they were to reveal their gender to their employer and/or a federal worker.
The bill introduces a new criminal offense: ‘gender identity fraud’
This proposed bill, known as ‘House Bill 3817’, was introduced by Republican state Rep. Tom Oliverson.
“An act relating to creating the criminal offense of gender identity fraud,” the proposal reads.
How the bill defines ‘gender identity fraud’
It explains ‘gender identity fraud’ as being:
“A person commits an offense if the person knowingly makes a false or misleading verbal or written statement to a governmental entity or the person’s employer by identifying the person’s biological s*x as the opposite of the biological s*x assigned to the person at birth.”
An offense under this section is a state jail felony.
The bill would force trans people to misidentify themselves
The act, if passed, would take effect from September. It would essentially ban transgender people in Texas from revealing their gender identity to police officers, as well as their employers or on any government application.
Instead, they would have to identify as the gender they were assigned at birth.
The bill’s chances of passing remain low, for now
Of course, for the bill to come into play, it would first have to be approved, and according to the Texas Legislature tracker, it is unlikely that it will be — with it having not moved to any committee, nor does it have a co-sponsor.
This is part of a wave of anti-trans policies under Trump’s administration
It is the latest in a string of anti-trans executive orders that have been filed since President Donald Trump reclaimed the Oval Office in January.
This has included Euphoria star Hunter Schafer receiving a passport that lists her as ‘male.’
The president has also attempted to ban transgender women from participating in women’s sports and stop transgender people from serving in the military.
Trans rights have already been restricted in Texas before this bill
It comes just seven months after the Texas Department of Public Safety ordered that its workers stopped allowing transgender people the right to change their gender on their state ID and driver’s license.
Advocacy groups warn of serious risks to trans people’s safety
American Civil Liberties Union’s (ACLU) Texas division issued the following statement on the back of the move:
“The Department of Public Safety has a responsibility, as stated in its own name, to keep all Texans safe. This policy does the opposite. Not having accurate driver’s licenses jeopardizes trans people’s health and safety — by potentially outing us and exposing us to discrimination, harassment, and violence.
“State agencies can’t ignore court orders nor is DPS allowed to collect or share people’s personal information for political aims. This relentless targeting of transgender Texans is yet another alarming attack on our privacy, safety, and dignity. Trans people deserve to live free from persecution in Texas and everywhere else.”
For now, this bill is stuck in limbo, but it’s got a lot of people worried. Whether it moves forward or not, it’s just another sign of how tough things are getting for trans people in Texas.
