The Senate in the American state of Texas has passed House Bill 229, which clearly defines "male" and "female" based on biological reproductive systems, and it is expected to be signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott, making Texas the 14th state to implement such a "sex definition" law.
The bill defines a "female" as an individual whose biological reproductive system is developed to produce ova, and a "male" as an individual whose reproductive system is developed to fertilize the ova of a female. The bill will apply these definitions across state records.
"Texas recognizes only two sexes. Male and female. That's it. I will sign this immediately into law. The bill is expected to be signed into law by Governor Abbott," Abbott wrote on X.
The bill follows an executive order by Governor Abbott and a similar directive by President Donald Trump, which recognize only two sexes based on biological criteria.
“Each individual is one of two sexes, male or female, and individuals diagnosed with a disorder of sex development or as intersex are not considered to belong to a third sex and must receive accommodations in accordance with state and federal law,” the bill reads.
HB 229, which goes into effect Sept. 1, mandates that state and local agencies use a binary view of sex when collecting information that identifies the sex of a person.
“A governmental entity that collects vital statistics information that identifies the sex of an individual for the purpose of complying with antidiscrimination laws or for the purpose of gathering public health, crime, economic, or other data shall identify each individual as either male or female,” the bill states. The bill will revert the gender identity of transgender individuals to the sex they were assigned at birth in state records.
HB 229's definitions fall mostly in line with another bill that defines male and female, SB 1188. That bill requires Texas’ medical providers to record a person’s “biological sex.” The only difference is for males, which SB 1188 defines as having a reproductive system “developed to produce sperm.”
The bill also sets certain findings into Texas law, placing men as “on average, bigger, stronger, and faster than females.” It also “finds” that those differences inherently “leave females more physically vulnerable than males to specific forms of violence, including sexual violence.”
Following a spirited left-wing opposition to the bill just before midnight local time, Democrat state senator Molly Cook(D-Houston) and HB 229 sponsor Republican Senator Mayes Middleton(R-Galveston), engaged in over 20 minutes of debate on the Senate floor.
At around 1 a.m. local time Wednesday, HB 229 was quickly passed along party lines in the Texas Senate, dodging the Senate’s bill deadline by nearly 24 hours.
Far-left LGBTQ activists contend that the bill is an attack on transgender and intersex individuals, erasing their identities and leading to greater marginalization and discrimination.
However Texas voters overwhelmingly support this type of legislation, with seven in ten voters and 94% of Republicans believing that the sex listed on a birth certificate should be the only way to define gender.
Similar bills have been passed in other states and countries, and the push for strict sex definitions has gained momentum with the Trump administration.
Mary Elizabeth Castle, Texas Values’ director of government relations, said that the bill sends a clear message. “HB 229 makes sure that the reality and truth of the two sexes is clear in Texas law and never altered by school districts, local cities, or bureaucrats ever again!" she said. "With today’s vote in the Senate, Texas will lay the foundation for protecting women’s spaces and opportunities.”
