Hundreds of radical gender ideology activists stormed the Texas Capitol on Tuesday to stifle the legislative body from voting to ban the butchering of children’s bodies. Their attempts to intimidate legislators into abandoning the bill, however, quickly backfired when Texas Republicans and state troopers issued a crackdown on the chamber chaos.
“Rules matter in the TX House. Today’s outbursts in the gallery were a breach of decorum & continued after I warned that such behaviors would not be tolerated. There will always be differing perspectives, but in our chamber, we will debate those differences w/ respect,” Republican Speaker of the House Dade Phelan tweeted Tuesday evening.
Cable news coverage of the chaos showed clips of protestors equipped with “God Loves Trans People” and “My Faith Does Not Discriminate” signs appearing to sing peacefully in the Capitol rotunda.
Less prominently displayed on corporate media shows were images and minutes-long footage of rowdy crowds who, against the verbal warning of legislators, shoved past officers, unfurled ironic banners declaring “let trans kids grow up,” made displays of public nudity, and shouted.
“What do we want? Trans rights? When do we want it? Now,” dozens of troublemakers chanted in the House gallery during Tuesday’s legislative session. “Protect trans kids.”
Troopers eventually emptied the House gallery, but the activists continued their raucous opposition to SB14.
At one point during the commotion, instigators surrounded a group praying for the protection of children’s bodies and souls from the irreversible damage and tried to drown out their worship with chants of “save trans kids.”
Much like Tennessee’s Republicans, the Lone Star State’s majority party did not tolerate the tumult. Instead, Texas Department of Public Safety officers acted swiftly to handcuff, remove, and penalize those who acted up.
It’s unclear just how many were arrested and potentially charged, but at least one agitator received a year-long ban on entering the Capitol.
This isn’t the first time radicals tried to infiltrate the Texas Capitol, and if the left’s history of sowing physical discord means anything, it likely won’t be the last.
While conservatives juggle false accusations that they are “threatening democracy,” leftists- led by the blue party and abetted by corporate media- swiftly rolled out a nationwide campaign of threats, violence, and chaos designed to advance their political agenda.
Americans saw this play out during the 2020 summer of rage, after the 2020 election, when the Supreme Court ruled on Dobbs v. Jackson, and now they are seeing it play out in state capitols across the country.
It would be easy for the GOP to turn a blind eye to these intimidation campaigns, as it has done so many times in the past. Republicans in Texas, however, showed an unusual yet welcomed courage on Tuesday when they condemned the mob.
They aren’t alone. GOP legislators in Tennesee, Montana, and other states all over the nation have successfully fended off Democrat-endorsed attempts to force a change in their favor.
This momentum means now is not the time for Republicans in any state to falter — especially those in Texas. The hard part of protecting kids from the trans movement — which is undeniably coming for them — is reprimanding the people provoking pandemonium in the chamber, and that is over for now.
Now, Texas Republicans must do the right thing and finish the job.
SB14, which already passed the Senate, was set to head directly to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk if the House agreed to greenlight it. At the last minute, Republican Rep. Stephanie Klick sent it back to committee, which voted 6 to 5 to offer up a substitute bill.
It’s unclear at this time why Klick kicked the bill back, but her decision to delay will keep the legislation in limbo until at least later this week.
Texas Republicans won one battle this week when they pushed back on agitators in the Capitol. But to win the war, they must turn rhetoric about protecting children from the irreversible damage radical gender ideologues seek to cause into laws actually protecting kids.
