2025 Legislative Recap
Since the Texas legislature meets every other year, the next regular session will begin in January 2027. Below are the most recent bills passed by the state legislature impacting LGBTQ+ Texans.
SB 8 (-) (Signed by Governor, Effective 12/4/2025)
This bill, passed during the second special session in 2025, would require people to use restrooms and locker rooms that match their sex assigned at birth in public schools and government buildings. It would also put similar requirements on prisons and domestic violence shelters. Public entities that don’t comply would face monetary fines enforced by the Attorney General’s office. SB 8 puts the safety and dignity of our trans, nonbinary, and intersex community, and anyone whose appearance doesn’t fit narrow expectations of gender, at significant risk.
HB 229 (-) (Signed by Governor, Effective 9/1/2025)
Designed to narrowly define terms such as "sex, "female, "male, "mother, "father," and others. By codifying these inaccurate definitions into law, the bill paves the way for potential discrimination against anyone who does not fit within the bill’s reductive language. It would make a person's sex reported by the government at birth the identity that will follow them on government documents for the rest of their lives, which would be especially harmful to our trans, nonbinary, and intersex communities, who deserve accurate identity documents.
SB 12 (-) (Signed by Governor, Effective 9/1/2025)
Threatens to erase diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) from Texas public schools and ban the existence of GSA’s (Gay-Straight Alliances/LGBTQ+ student clubs on campus). SB 12 also paves the way for school staff to forcibly “out” LGBTQ+ students, infringing on students’ rights to privacy. On February 20, 2026, a district court issued a preliminary injunction blocking Houston ISD, Katy ISD, and Plano ISD from implementing SB 12 in response to a lawsuit brought by GSA Network challenging the law.
SB 1188 (-) (Signed by Governor, Effective 9/1/2025)
Mandates that electronic health records must include a distinct, unalterable field for an individual’s “biological sex at birth,” defined as the reproductive trait determining production of male or female gametes. The bill allows changes to this field only for clerical errors or in cases of diagnosed sexual development disorders (intersex conditions). While binary sex records are required, the bill does allow for additional information related to gender identity to be recorded in a separate section. It also gives parents and guardians unrestricted access to minors’ health records and imposes fines of up to $250,000 for noncompliance.
SB 1257 (Signed by Governor, Effective 9/1/2025)
Mandates that health insurers covering gender-affirming care must also cover any costs related to “detransitioning” (surgeries, therapies, mental health care), even for individuals who were not enrolled in the same insurance plan during their initial transition. By requiring that any plans that include coverage for gender-affirming care also include a whole host of other medical services, the cost of covering gender-affirming care could escalate, increasing the cost of insurance for trans people in the state of Texas.
HB 1106 (Signed by Governor, Effective 9/1/2025)
Amends the Texas Family Code to clarify that a parent’s refusal to affirm a child’s gender identity or orientation does not constitute child abuse or neglect. This includes withholding access to gender-affirming care, rejecting a child’s chosen name/pronouns, or refusing to support their LGBTQ+ identity.
HB 18 (-) (Signed by Governor, Effective immediately)
Aims to expand healthcare access in rural Texas by establishing grant programs, telehealth resources, and financial stabilization for rural hospitals. However, an amendment inserted language to invalidate parental consent for mental health services that affirm a child’s gender identity inconsistent with their “biological sex.” Rural providers may become hesitant to offer certain mental health services to children and adolescents, especially those related to gender identity, to avoid legal or regulatory complications.
