OUTLAW: A Half-Century Criminalizing LGBTQ+ Texans
(KXAN) — “Trans rights are human rights!” one protester yelled into a bullhorn.
“We’re here, we’re queer, we’re not going anywhere,” another chanted.
Roughly a hundred LGBTQ+ activists and advocates chanted, raised banners and made their voices heard outside the gates of the Texas State Capitol.
Dozens in opposition, meanwhile, stood nearby. One raised a sign: “Gender identity is a lie.”
Feet away, dozens of others in biker gear stood watch – one with a Confederate flag patched to his leather vest. Another man in a ballistic vest stared silently from behind the crowd with his index finger perched just above the trigger of the AR-15 style rifle hanging from his shoulder.
The juxtaposition played out on a sweltering August afternoon in the shadow of the building where the recent legislative session focused more than ever before on LGBTQ+ issues.