The Texas Senate has passed House Bill 1106 and House Bill 229. These measures, which previously passed the Texas House, would revise legal definitions within state law related to child welfare and sex classification.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 29, 2025
CONTACT: Emily Witt (she/her), emily@tfn.org
AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Senate yesterday passed House Bill 1106 and House Bill 229, sending both bills to the Governor’s desk for final approval. These measures, which previously passed the Texas House, would revise legal definitions within state law related to child welfare and sex classification.
HB 1106 amends the Texas Family Code to specify that a parent’s refusal to affirm a child’s gender identity or sexual orientation, including refusal to use a child’s chosen name or pronouns, does not meet the legal definition of child abuse or neglect under state law.
HB 229 establishes a binary definition of “sex” in Texas law based on reproductive anatomy at birth, categorizing individuals strictly as male or female. The bill mandates that the terms “man” and “woman” be interpreted according to this definition across all references in state statutes.
Texas Freedom Network Political Director Rocío Fierro-Pérez (she/her) issued the following statement:
“This is a full-blown emergency for LGBTQIA+ youth and anyone who doesn’t conform to the state’s narrow vision of gender. With HB 1106 and HB 229, Texas lawmakers are writing discrimination into law and requiring families, schools, and institutions to follow their lead.
“HB 1106 tells queer and trans kids that their pain is not real, that their identities are disposable, and that the state will look the other way when they are rejected by the people who are supposed to protect them. It is a green light for emotional abandonment disguised as ‘parental rights.’ And HB 229 pushes the door wide open for further erasure, reducing gender to body parts, stripping legal recognition from trans and intersex Texans, and laying the groundwork for even more intense attacks on reproductive freedom and bodily autonomy.
“If these bills are signed into law, the consequences will be deadly. We know the data. We know the risk. LGBTQIA+ youth are already facing staggering rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide. TFN refuses to accept a Texas where young people are told they must hide who they are to survive. We will fight these bills in our communities and at the ballot box. Because every child deserves to be seen. Every person deserves dignity. And every Texan deserves the freedom to live fully, truthfully, and without fear.”
