“You know, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender -- people are people.”

It almost seems as if every push towards social equality is met with an equal, opposing force in the form of laws and demands built on the foundation of antiquated concepts. After a debate that lasted four and a half hours, the Texas senate issued a tentative approval of a bathroom bill that would require transgender people to use the bathrooms that match their biological gender noted on their birth certificates. The very next day, March 15, 2017, Texas senate voted 21-10 to approve the bill, Senate Bill 6.

“The people of Texas expect boundaries between gender.”

Sen. Lois Kolkhorst (R), one of the sponsors of the bill, has surmised that the “blurring of gender” will be harmful to women and the cause of women’s rights. However, the passing of Senate Bill 6 blatantly disregards transgender women by refusing to acknowledge them as women, thus creating the opposite intended effect. Sen. Kolkhort's idea that transgender women are not in fact women seems to arise from religious beliefs. “I think the people of Texas expect boundaries between gender,” declared Sen. Kolkhorst during a speech on the Senate floor. “I think the god I believe in, the cross I wear today, said there was man and woman.” Rather than a “blurring of gender,” Sen. Kolkhorst’s statement indicates that there is a blurring of the lines between church and state.

"If a proposal that is discriminatory ... that would certainly be a factor considered when thinking about awarding future events."

It is no surprise that Senate Bill 6 is causing uproar. Two weeks ago, about 70 businesses, including American Airlines, Dell Inc., Google, Apple, and Microsoft, sent letters to Gov. Greg Abbott (R) and speaker Joe Straus (R) opposing the new bill. This bill is reaching past the political arena and into the world of professional sports as well. Brian McCarthy, the spokesman for the NFL, stated in an email that, “If a proposal that is discriminatory or inconsistent which our values were to become law [in Texas], that would certainly be a factor considered when thinking about awarding future events.”

"There is nothing civil, there is nothing right about telling little girls that anyone can see them naked."

Supporters of Senate Bill 6 believe that this is a "common sense bill" that protects the privacy of children. However, it is important to understand that there is a distinction between a transgender person and a pedophile. Allowing a transgender person to use the bathroom that they identify with is absolutely not an invitation to give predators an opportunity to freely assault another person. If someone is charged for sexual harassment or assault, that is because they are immoral beings, not because they are transgender. The few individuals who are willing to claim to be transgender in order to commit crimes are sick individuals who are using a minority for their advantage.

"You may kill me with your hatefulness, but still, like air, I'll rise."

It is unfortunate that in the year of 2017 there are some people who mistakenly equate the terms transgender and predator. Being transgender does not make you a criminal; having malicious intent and acting upon it makes you criminal. The passing of Senate Bill 6 is an indicator that the battle towards social equality has yet to see the light at the end of the tunnel. It is an uphill battle, but a battle for equality is worth it.