New Texas bill that would make being trans a felony sparks fury: ‘There’s no fraud in being trans’

An already-reviled law proposed in Texas could make it illegal for transgender people to identify as their preferred gender, sparking widespread outrage.

An anti-transgender House Bill put forward on Wednesday (5 March) requests that the southern state amend its criminal law on identity theft to include so-called “gender identity fraud.”

If passed, a person could be charged with a felony for “identifying the person’s biological sex as the opposite of the biological sex assigned to the person at birth,” effectively making the existence of trans and non-binary people illegal.

The law, proposed by Republican Tom Oliverson, would punish those in violation of existing as a trans person with up to two years in prison and a $10,000 fine. It is unlikely to become law, with no co-sponsors and no scheduled committee hearing.

“This is the kind of bill that keeps me up at night”

However, the existence of the proposed anti-transgender law has caused grave concern among LGBTQ+ people and allies. Callie Butcher, founder of the LGBTQ+ Dallas law firm Butcher Legal Group, said that while the bill would struggle to pass, it’s indicative of the state of LGBTQ+ rights in Texas.

“This is the kind of bill that keeps me up at night,” Butcher said, according to Chron. “This fits right along with the agenda that we’ve been seeing pushed, for the past several sessions, specifically around policing of people’s gender and how they’re able to identify themselves on documents and in sports leagues.”

Texas, along with several other US states, has seen an unprecedented rise in anti-LGBTQ+, particularly anti-trans, bills proposed over the past few years. According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), a whopping 456 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been passed since the beginning of 2025 alone.

Butcher said that the rhetoric of bills such as this suggests that transgender people “are somehow deceiving or misrepresenting their identity, and using it for advantage.” She added: “This bills pulls at that a little bit, and that’s what scares me.”

Many people also expressed outrage on social media, with one trans person tweeting: “Texas wants to pass a bill making it a fraud to be trans & a felony. Unbelievably ridiculous. There’s no fraud in being trans. I make no secret that I’m a trans man, although I might have to start with shit like this. What I am is implicit in the title ‘trans.’ It’s self explanatory. Only a moron wouldn’t get the point.”

Texas wants to pass a bill making it a fraud to be trans & a felony. Unbelievably ridiculous. There’s no fraud in being trans. I make no secret that I’m a trans man, although I might have to start with shit like this. What I am is implicit in the title “trans.” It’s self… pic.twitter.com/p9eQ2IdIeE

— The Pissed Off Lawyer (@legaltweetz) March 6, 2025

The bill’s proposal comes shortly after Republican Brent Money proposed a law that would completely ban gender-affirming care for all ages in the state.

The bill – Texas HB339 – would amend existing laws in the state to restrict hormone therapy, gender-reassignment surgery, and other forms of gender-affirming care practices for everyone. Healthcare professionals who provide hormone suppressants, such as estrogen, testosterone, or puberty blockers, could face fines or prison time.