As reported by The Center Square:

(The Center Square) – Western Washington University’s LGBTQ center offers hormone treatments, trans-affirming voice therapy and an annual drag show, as well as an LGBTQ orientation and graduation.

Western Washington is the third largest public university in the state, according to its website. The school states it has a commitment to “student success, critical thought, creativity, and sustainability,” as well as to “equity and justice, and respect for the rights and dignity of others.”

WWU communications did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

The school’s LGBTQ center – LGBTQ+ Western – states on its website that its mission is “to advance the holistic thriving of diverse LGBTQ+ students, faculty, and staff.”

It will accomplish its mission via “collaboratively engaging the Western community with transformational knowledge, resources, advocacy, and celebration.”

Some of the “primary services” LGBTQ+ Western offers are Gender Affirming Care and Legal Name Change Support, Lavender Graduation, Annual Drag Show, and Queerientation, as stated on its website.

LGBTQ+ Western also provides a resource for locating gender neutral restrooms, and has a number of clubs and organizations for students, staff and faculty alike, including Lavender Menaces, Royal Gambit Drag Club, and the WWU Furry Club.

When contacted twice each for comment, neither LGBTQ+ Western, LGBTQ+ Western director Joe Hahn, nor LGBTQ+ Western & the Centers program manager Ayanna Phillips responded.

Gender Affirming Care at Western Washington entails things such as gender-affirming hormone therapy through the Student Health Center and trans-affirming voice therapy through referrals, according to its webpage.

Students at Western Washington can use a name other than their legal name for all aspects of schooling, or they can “change their legal name with the University by submitting a Name Change Request Form and supporting material as described on that form to the Registrar’s Office,” according to the school.

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As reported by The Center Square:

(The Center Square) – Texas may soon allow state money to be invested in cryptocurrency.

State Sen. Charles Schwertner, R-Georgetown, filed SB 21, the Texas Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Investment Act, which would create a new reserve to invest in digital currency.

The bill states that “bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are assets with strategic potential for enhancing this state ’s financial resilience” and “can serve as a hedge against inflation and economic volatility.” Establishing a strategic bitcoin reserve will benefit Texas residents by “providing enhanced financial security,” it says.

The bill passed the Texas Senate Thursday with bipartisan support.

The reserve would operate as a special fund outside the state treasury and be managed by the state comptroller’s office. It would receive funds transferred or deposited by a legislative appropriation; by dedicated revenue from the legislature; by bitcoin and other cryptocurrency purchased using money in or received by the reserve; by a fork of a distributed ledger; by a distribution from an airdrop to the state ’s cryptocurrency addresses; by investment earnings and interest or rewards earned on assets in the reserve; and by gifts, grants, and other donations to the reserve.

At a Senate Business & Commerce Committee hearing, Schwertner said the bill sends “a clear message regarding the decades long spendthrift stewardship of our country by the federal government.”

Individuals and investment firms have responded to the federal government’s uncontrollable spending “by seeking alternatives to fiat currency. These alternatives have historically included gold and land but now include many cryptocurrencies,” he said.

The U.S. Treasury Department refers to Bitcoin “as digital gold” and it’s become a recognized asset in the financial markets, he said. Individuals directly hold Bitcoin assets or invest in them through publicly listed Securities and Exchange Commission-regulated Bitcoin ETF’s traded on U.S. stock exchanges.

“Bitcoin offers unique advantages in the digital era due to its limited supply and decentralized nature in contrast to the federal government, which has a unlimited printing press and centralized control of the currency,” Schwertner said. The bill will allow Texas “to diversify our investment approach, participate competitively in the digital financial economy and leverage the benefits of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.”

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As reported by The Center Square:

Companion bills have been filed in the Texas Senate and House to prohibit individuals from using state-funded facilities that are designated for use by the opposite sex. It would ban biological males from using state-funded women’s facilities like in jail or prison cells, domestic violence shelters, public bathrooms, locker rooms or other facilities.

State Rep. Valoree Swanson, R-Spring, filed HB 239, the Texas Women’s Privacy Act. State Sen. Mayes Middleton, R-Galveston, filed the companion bill in the Texas Senate. The bill has bipartisan support.

It seeks to amend state government code to define biological sex, correctional facilities, family violence shelters, political subdivisions, private spaces, single occupancy private spaces, state agencies and other terms.

Biological sex is defined as the “physical condition of being male or female, as determined by: … the sex organs, chromosomes, and endogenous profiles of a person; a person’s original birth certificate, if the biological sex is correctly stated on the birth certificate …,” according to the bill language.

The bill would require political subdivisions or state agencies to ensure that private spaces within their jurisdiction are only designated for or used by persons based on their biological sex. Exceptions include those assisting the disabled, seniors, parents and guardians of children under age 10, among others.

The law applies to taxpayer-funded facilities that have bathrooms, locker rooms, sleeping quarters or other areas, including state parks, state prisons and county jails, domestic violence shelters, among others.

Civil penalties include $5,000 for the first violation and $25,000 for each subsequent violation.

In 2023, both Swanson and Middleton sponsored the Save Women’s Sports Act, which passed the legislature and was signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott, The Center Square reported. It prohibits biological men from competing on a team or as an individual against women in college sports.

In 2021, Abbott first signed a bill into law to protect girls’ sports in Texas public schools. In the legislative sessions of 2017 and 2019, he signed four bills into law to address student safety and adjudication processes for reports of sexual harassment and sexual assault on college campuses.

Last year, Abbott also instructed Texas colleges and universities not to comply with a Biden administration rewrite of Title IX to expand the definition of “sex” to include “gender identify.”

“I signed laws to ensure the safety of our students on campus and provide a process for adjudicating reports of sexual harassment and sexual assault with adequate due process for all parties involved, as well as laws to protect the integrity of women’s sports by prohibiting men from competing against female athletes – and I will not let President Biden erase the advancements Texas has made,” he said at the time.

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