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AUSTIN, Texas — Governor Greg Abbott today signed House Bill 229 into law. The bill mandates a binary definition of sex based solely on reproductive anatomy and bars state documents from recognizing gender identities that differ from sex assigned at birth. The law also restricts intersex Texans from being legally recognized outside the male/female binary and prohibits updates to gender markers on birth certificates and other vital records.
Texas Freedom Network Political Director Rocío Fierro-Pérez (she/her) had the following response:
“HB 229 is a government permission slip to discriminate. Abbott’s newly signed law forces a narrow, binary definition of sex into every corner of public life in Texas. It erases transgender and intersex people from legal recognition, bans them from updating basic identity documents, and enshrines a rigid standard that has nothing to do with science or safety. And, it does so by weaponizing our legal system against those who simply want to live as who they are.
“Texans deserve a government that respects our identities, not one that denies them. This law may be signed, but it will never go unchallenged. Our communities are fierce, our values are rooted in justice, and we will fight every attempt to legislate people out of existence.”
While the 89th Regular Texas Legislative Session has come to a close, Texas Freedom Network will continue to oppose any effort to legislate bigotry and strip Texans of their fundamental rights. Through legislative advocacy, public education, and grassroots organizing, we remain committed to defending the freedom of all Texans to live authentically and with dignity.
In 2026, Texas Freedom Network and our youth project, Texas Rising Action, will endorse candidates for progressive change and mobilize Texans to the ballot box.
