Texas passes bill defining ‘woman,’ protecting female-only spaces

The Texas legislature has passed a bill protecting single sex spaces, such as girls’ locker rooms in schools, and mandating identification by biological sex on government-issued documents, including driver’s licenses and other photo IDs.

House Bill 229 passed in the Texas Senate early Wednesday by an exact party-line vote of 20 to 11, according to the Texas Tribune. The bill, which passed in the Texas House on May 12, defines “female” and “woman” as “an individual whose biological reproductive system is developed to produce ova.”

The bill, sponsored by Republican Texas state Rep. Ellen Troxclair, also defines “male” or “man” as “an individual whose biological reproductive system is developed to fertilize the ova of a female.” The legislation also describes “sex” as “an individual’s biological sex, either male or female.”

Troxclair’s bill states that “there are legitimate reasons to distinguish” between men and women “with respect to athletics, prisons … domestic violence shelters, rape crisis centers, locker rooms, restrooms, and other areas where biology, safety, or privacy are implicated.”

Women’s rights activist, Riley Gaines, called the legislation a “common-sense bill [that] simply defines and codifies sex-based terms,” in an X post on Wednesday.

M.E. Castle, director of government relations for Texas Values, a Christian nonprofit in Texas, said that the message of this bill is clear: “You don’t mess with Texas women. HB 229 makes sure that the reality and truth of the two sexes is clear in Texas law and never altered by school districts, local cities, or bureaucrats ever again!”

Troxclair described it as a bill that “defines what a woman is, recognizing biological reality,” in an X post following the bill’s passage in the Texas House. Troxclair said that “with the passage of House Bill 229, Texas is protecting safety, privacy, & rights of women & girls across our state.”

However, opponents to the bill, such as Democratic Texas Sen. Jose Menendez, claim the bill attacks LGBT rights. Menendez called the bill a “form of state-sponsored discrimination” that “forces non-binary Texans, who are real people, into categories that don’t reflect their lived experiences or identities.”

During debate over the bill in the state House earlier in May, Democratic Texas Rep. Jessica Gonzalez called the bill “harmful,” “dangerous,” and “really freaking insulting.”

The bill now heads to the desk of Republican Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott, who has previously signed similar legislation protecting women’s spaces.

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