Texas Democrat Who Turned on Trans Community Is Finding Out
Representative Shawn Thierry voted to ban gender-affirming care for youth. Now she’s heading for a runoff, unless her opponent, Lauren Ashley Simmons, won outright.
Lauren Ashley Simmons, taken from her website
Opinion, by Evan Urquhart
Despite a massive propaganda push to distort the science and inflame fear and hatred towards the transgender community, most Democratic politicians have stood firm. In some cases this is no doubt due to their genuinely held convictions, but it hasn’t hurt that anti-trans messaging has turned out to be something of a political dud for Republicans. While American opinion may not be strongly in favor of trans rights, it’s almost nobody’s top issue and running on it may reads as out of touch and culture war obsessed. Still, not every Democrat has held their ground against the forces of hate. Case in point, Shawn Thierry, a Democratic state representative from a solidly blue district in Houston Texas.
Thierry broke with Texas Democrats to support the Republican priority of banning gender-affirming care for youth. But not only did she vote in favor of the ban, she went as far as making a 12-minute speech about it, one predictably riddled with misinformation and anti-trans talking points.
Even though the care ban would have passed with or without her vote, the decision devastated families in her district who had relied on gender-affirming care to help their children thrive. According to a podcast where those who’d worked with her previously discussed this heel turn, Thierry abruptly stopped taking the calls of LGBTQ+ groups and even saw a close friendship with a gay couple come to an end. Her refusal to listen and learn, former supporters turned opponents say, hurt as much or more than the vote.
Houston’s Democrats, and the LGBTQ+ community, did not take this lying down. Two primary challengers emerged, most notably Lauren Ashley Simmons who earned the endorsement of the Houston Chronicle as well as that of prominent Democrats, labor unions, and LGBTQ+ groups.
When the results came in yesterday, Simmons was at 49.5 percent, just a hair under the majority vote needed to avoid a runoff. (With a few outstanding votes left to be counted, it’s not impossible that she could still have won outright.) Thierry received 44.4 percent.
Thierry’s anti-LGBTQ+ votes have been mentioned in every major news story about the race. If, as appears likely, she ultimately fails to hold her seat it will serve as an example to Democrats of the danger of embracing Republican positions on trans issues, not just morally, but politically as well.