Senate Bill 8, which takes effect on Thursday, places new restrictions on which restrooms transgender people can use in certain government-owned buildings and schools.

Some trans Texans worry that the lack of specificity on how the law will be enforced will harm their safety and lives.

Senate Bill 8, which goes into effect on Dec. 4, restricts bathroom use in government buildings and schools to the sex assigned at birth.

More than 20 bills that would restrict restroom use for transgender people have been proposed since 2015, but their language — and reception — have shifted.

Senate Bill 7 would require people to use restrooms that match their birth gender and fine institutions up to $25,000 for repeated violations.

The bills would carry a $5,000 fine for a first-time violation and comes as momentum for such restrictions has increased in the state and nationally.

The Senate voted Wednesday to give initial approval to a bill that would require buildings, including public schools and universities, among others to segregate private facilities, like bathrooms, by sex.

Mo Jenkins is one of only a few openly transgender staffers working in the Capitol as lawmakers are making headway in restricting rights for LGBTQ+ Texans.

House Bill 239, which echoes a bathroom bill that failed in 2017, includes new provisions for shelters and prisons.

LGBTQ+ advocates called the ban one of the most extreme measures enacted by a local government.

Readers sometimes ask us if the outcomes in governing are predetermined and whether civic engagement makes a difference. There are plenty of examples of Texans influencing lawmakers’ decisions.

The Texas Tribune spoke with LGBTQ voters, the parents of queer youth and advocates from across the state about what’s at stake for them this November.

In 2017, conservative lawmakers failed to pass legislation targeting transgender Texans. Things were different this year.