The latest group to descend upon the state capitol in protest of the so-called Bathroom Bill is a collection of Texas women who are business leaders, and want to fight back against the idea that limiting transgender bathroom use is an issue of safety.
“Of course the safety of my children is number one in my life, but the reality is that this bill does not protect anyone,” Cassandra Matej, head of Visit San Antonio, tells Newsradio 1200 WOAI.
She’ll be one of the main speakers at today’s rally in Austin, and will be joined by other women business leaders from companies like IBM, which has come out against the bill that would force people to use restrooms that correlate to their sex at birth.
State Sen. Lois Kolkhorst (R-Brenham) has tried to frame SB6 as a way to stop predators from exploiting transgender bathroom policies to gain access to bathrooms and locker rooms. At a rally, last week, she was critical of the business community’s staunch opposition.
"I pick daughters over dollars," Kolkhorst said.
Matej disagreed with that point when she testified at the state legislature, and stands by her response.
“There’s already laws in place that if someone does something in a bathroom, that would be against the law,” she explains.
A study commissioned by Visit San Antonio, and done by world-renowned economist Ray Perryman, found that, in one year, if the bathroom bill passes, San Antonio will face $411 million on losses.
“People are like, ‘Oh, that’s just a study.’ The reality is I get phone calls on a weekly basis. We have a running tally of groups that will not consider San Antonio. Upwards of $41 million.”