Jason Embry of The Austin Statesman reports that Sunday morning, on KXAN, Representative Leo Berman (Republican-Tyler) and Representative Rafael Anchia (Democrat-Dallas) discusses the Texas budget, immigration, and gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender issues, although the transgender part of the conversation quite quickly became problematic for Berman. The host of the program asked about Anchia’s proposed legislation that states a birth certificate would not have to specify a female mother and a male father, Anchia saying that he has a lot of same gender families as constituents. “Many times the children who are adopted by these single-gender families want the birth certificate to adequately describe their parents. And if it doesn’t, many times it creates problems, with respect to one parent being able to visit a child in the hospital if they’re very sick. It creates problems in terms of inheritance. And we had a very compelling hearing last session — I was pleased that the chairwoman of Public Health gave it a hearing — where these children talked about the difficulties it creates in their lives, “answered Anchia. The host then asked Berman for his position, and that is when the trouble with transgender began.
Berman: “Well I’m not going to dispute Rafael. I know he’s a very compassionate man. But it’s just like camouflaging an issue. This bullying issue in school, it’s a GLBT issue. It’s a gay, lesbian, bisexual transvestite issue.”
Anchia: “Transgender.”
Berman: “I’m sorry. Transgender and transvestite. You cross-dress and you’re a transvestite, I guess. But anyway, I don’t support that at all.”
Berman said he is a conservative and Anchia’s a liberal. Anchia asked Berman not to brand him, and Berman apologized.
Berman: “I am a conservative and I don’t support the agenda that the gay, lesbian, transvestite? I’m sorry, what is that word?”
Anchia: (exasperated) “It’s the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender community.”
Berman: “Transgender community.”
Anchia: “GLBT.”
Berman: “GLBT. I don’t support their agenda at all.”
Anchia: “I will tell you that many of my constituents who are doctors and lawyers and police officers and firefighters and veterans of the military, who are in committed, loving relationships, want to provide loving homes for children and do. I think we need to take that seriously and not belittle it. And when you hear the testimony of children about how important this legislation is to them, it really changes hearts and minds.”
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