While Republicans have attempted to pass transgender “bathroom bills” in the past, SB 7 introduces a rigid penalty system for any facility that does not comply. A first offense would trigger a $5,000 fine, while subsequent violations would result in $25,000 fines for each infraction.
Though anti-transgender legislation has typically been able to make progress in the state Senate, it has often stalled out in the Texas House. SB 7 was filed at Gov. Greg Abbott’s behest after the governor listed the legislation as a priority for the special session, which began on July 21. Special sessions can last up to 30 days, but right now, operations are at a standstill because of House Democrats’ decision to leave the state to prevent a mid-decade redistricting attempt by Republicans through a quorum break.
If Democrats remain out of state for the next two weeks, the quorum break would last through the session’s expiration. That means that even if SB 7 passes through the full Senate, it will likely be dead on arrival on the House floor, assuming the democratic caucus remains away.
Johnathan Gooch, communications director with the LGBTQ+ advocacy group Equality Texas, said the organization had been aware that Democrats were considering a quorum break at the start of the session. He doesn’t believe it’s just a coincidence that the House's stalling coincides with GOP leaders attempting to pass other legislation that the caucus disagrees with, such as SB 7.
“Venton [Jones] makes clear that at least for him, and it would seem to be the LGBTQ caucus as well, the quorum break was not only about ending the redistricting plan, but also cutting short these discriminatory bills like SB 7,” Gooch said, referencing an Instagram video posted by the Democratic representative from Dallas who urged Texans to testify against SB 7. “While the maneuver might have been about redistricting, I think the timing considered what other legislation was still on the table.”
Over the last few legislative sessions there has been a “steady escalation” of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, Gooch added, which he believes is tied to an increasingly conservative faction of the bodies elected to serve Texas. Still, much of the legislation aimed at eroding the rights of queer Texans failed during the 2025 regular session, which suggests that even as far-right voices are elevated in the House and Senate, “there's still not as much of an appetite for this type of harmful legislation.”
If the redistricting map proposed by Republicans is passed, though, that could start to change.
While the GOP map would change Texas’ congressional seats, not districts in the state house or senate, the redrawing of congressional districts 32 and 33 in North Texas could harm Dallas’ LGBTQ+ electorate. As of now, CD 32 is held by Democrat Julie Johnson. Johnson was elected last November and is the first openly LGBTQ+ person to represent Texas in Congress. She is also the first queer congressional delegate elected from any Southern state.
The redrawing of North Texas’ districts would remove Johnson from her current district and force her to face off against Congressman Marc Veasey, the current representative for CD 33, in a democratic primary.
“The voting power of queer communities is significantly diminished by the new map, which is consistent with the way we've seen other minority communities impacted,” Gooch said. “[Johnson potentially losing her seat] is really important because it's not just about having the power to vote, it's about seeing our community reflected in the halls of power. Forcing out a queer representative is dispiriting, to say the very least, especially in a state like Texas, where there is so much anti-LGBTQ legislation. It's nice to know that there's at least one voice from the community in the conversation.”
While redistricting is typically an insider baseball-type process, the drama over Texas’ ongoing attempt to secure President Donald Trump an additional five Republican seats in Congress has caused a surge in Texans paying attention to the legislative process, Gooch said, which has lined up nicely with Equality Texas’ push against SB 7.
During Monday’s hearing, over 100 individuals signed up to testify for and against the bill. Many opponents of SB 7 condemned lawmakers for pursuing the anti-transgender legislation instead of prioritizing bills that would address the flooding that swept through Texas’ Hill Country in early July, killing more than a hundred individuals, including a number of girls at the Christian summer camp Camp Mystic. The criticism is similar to that voiced by opponents of the redistricting attempt.
“I was born female and I continue to identify as a woman, but I get mistaken for a man or a teenage boy when I go to the bathroom. I am who this bill claims to protect, but in execution, I will only be harmed,” said Caroline Green, an Austin resident. “I want the Texas government to protect girls by putting up flood sirens so we don’t have another Kerrville tragedy … why are we here fighting about bathrooms when we should be protecting their lives?”
