March 1, 2022 -- Please attribute the following statement to Mayor Sylvester Turner, who stands in support of the transgender community.
"I join other leaders across the State of Texas in condemning the actions of Governor Abbott and Attorney General Paxton as they attack transgender Texans and their families.
"In Houston, we don't bully our transgender neighbors. We watch them make history like Municipal Judge Phyllis Frye. The stigma the governor and attorney general work to create is part of the reason the late TransGriot journalist and activist Monica Roberts had so many stories of violence faced by trans women of color to report. As a matter of law and policy, I will continue to listen to Houstonians like Lou Weaver, a queer, transgender man and a leader in Houston's lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community, and other Houston leaders committed to an inclusive city.
"To the parents of transgender children who are enduring the primary politics of a race to the bottom by the governor and the attorney general, know this: I will stand with you against transphobic smears because I am your Mayor."