I used to be ashamed to tell anyone where my parents lived when I was born. It was a sundown town, named Vidor, in Texas. Now, another town in Texas has adopted an entirely new hate law. This time, they are coming for transgender people.
Odessa has just passed a city ordinance, by a vote of 5-2. It allows anyone to sue a transgender person found in a restroom that doesn’t align with their birth sex. I’ve written before about Texas and the extreme anti-trans bigotry being perpetrated there. This news is brought to you via Erin Reed over at Substack.
Now, one Texas city is taking things even further: Odessa, a city of 116,000, has passed a transgender bathroom ban authorizing a $10,000 bounty on any transgender person using a restroom that aligns with their gender identity.
I keep telling myself that some day I will return to my home state. I want to visit my daughter and her family. She has three children, my grandchildren, two of whom I have never met. I left Texas in 2012, already feeling uncomfortable living there as myself. I have never been back, even though most of my family, both biological and of choice, live there.
Living anywhere in the United States, in today’s political climate, is, for me, fraught with danger. Transgender people are framed as mentally ill, or as pedophiles and groomers, simply because we choose to live our truth.
Even six months ago, I was still willing to wear my pink or purple wigs in public. I wore LGBT / Trans Pride pins on my clothing. As the hatred and treatment of us as political footballs has ramped up, I have drawn inward. I no longer wear those colorful wigs, which I loved, outside my home. The pins stay home too.
No, not even close to everyone believes this nonsense. But enough do that we must be ever vigilant of our surroundings. We can not show ourselves in any way other than highly conservative.
Yes, there’s been recent news that most Americans, even a large number of Republicans, see through this hatred. They recognize it for what it is. It is “sad and shameful”. I would add disgusting and anti-Christian. I no longer profess to be Christian. But I remember that Christ said to “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
But the cult of Trumpism lives on. The Christian Nationalist movement wants to use Trump to enact their hateful theocratic agenda. Project 2025 authors want to remove all LGBT people from public life.
We can not let these people gain control of our Federal government. I will keep saying it. Vote, if you haven’t already done so. Check, and be certain the Republicans haven’t taken your registration from you. You can start at Vote.Gov.
The journey continues.
An Aging Trans Woman 
They call themselves Christians, then hate in the name of God. They call themselves Americans, then adopt Soviet/Nazi era laws designed to turn citizen upon citizen. Hate is a bloodlust that cannot be satisfied. It consumes one minority, then searches for the next. Those you send to someone else’s door will eventually knock on yours.
I already voted!
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OMG…..Vidor was a horrible place to live. I have never come across so much hatred in my life as I did one weekend in Vidor.
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I don’t have any actual memories of living there. We moved from there when I was quite young.
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Christianity was corrupted by religions
i believe this was predicted by the legendary Christ himself. Or at least he was said to have warned against it.
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Hi. Janet, I hate that you do not feel comfortable living as your authentic self. I do understand though. Ron refuses to let me put up pride flags or such even though the original surge of hateful maga that started to swell the area has receded and the more even temperament of the park has returned. Recently both Ron and I were approached to run for the Homeowners board. I desperately hope sanity returns to the country soon and you and all us LGBTQ+ can live our lives openly as the grand people we are. Hugs.
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Scottie, I might risk it if it was only myself I was putting at risk. But I have two other folks to consider. Their safety is very important to me. I have hope for the future, but for now, I will hide a bit of who I am.
You may remember I have noted before, several times, that I live in a deeply red portion of a major swing state. We may yet defeat Trumpism. But it is important to remember that we have not beaten it, yet. 🫂
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