That is one brave and strong 4th grader! (And, it’s sad a 4th grader has to be “strong” at all).
Activist and actor Kai Shappley recently spoke in front of Texas’s State Senate Affairs Committee about a bill that would make her mother a child abuser for supporting her transition.
“God made me. God loves me for who I am, and God does not make mistakes,” the 10-year-old said. “I do not like spending my free time asking adults to make good choices.”
Before acting in Netflix’s The Baby-Sitter’s Club, Kai Shappley had gained recognition for fighting anti-trans bills. Her family ended up moving from Pearland, Texas to Austin because of discriminatory laws that would have banned Shappely from using the women’s restroom.
“Texas legislators have been attacking me since Pre-K,” she added. “I am in fourth grade now. When it comes to bills that target trans youth, I immediately feel angry.”
Watch the amazing @KaiShappley a huge fan of @DollyParton, 4th grader and a transgender girl, school the Texas Senate and especially @SenBryanHughes once again on how bad their anti-trans bills will be for #TransYouth if passed. Of course those #txlege will ignore her plea! pic.twitter.com/ypbD1Nvm51
— Meghan Stabler 🏴🇺🇸 (@MeghanStabler) April 13, 2021
Texas is currently in the midst of discussion over a proposed bill against childhood gender reassignment. According to WLTX News19, the bill would redefine a parent allowing their child to undergo a sex change as child abuse. Senate Bill 1645, filed by State Senator Charles Perry, would make it so children could not receive puberty suppression prescription drugs, cross-sex hormones, or medical procedures/surgeries aiding gender transition or reassignment.
Any parent found in violation of this proposed bill would then trigger a Child Protective Investigation and could risk having their child taken away. As for doctors caught providing sex change services, they risk a license investigation by the Texas Medical Board.
According to the Texas Tribune, Perry spoke during the State Affairs Committee hearing about SB1645 and other bills in support of banning transgender student-athletes. Perry argued that the bills are made to protect children who don’t have the maturity to understand their decisions.
With all the antiTrans kid legislation across the nation today it’s a good time to share our doc again. It’s only 18 minutes long & It WON AN EMMY! Ok. Can we agree on how cute I was 🥰 https://t.co/uPPgAZf2df
— Kai Shappley HER/SHE 🍫 (@KaiShappley) March 11, 2021
“God created us all in his own image. …We went outside that creation by our own accord and suffer with some of the consequences of being outside his will since the garden,” Perry said, in reference to the biblical story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. “This is another one of those issues that we find ourselves entangled in that unfortunately, the damage is to our most precious, precious being our children, not our personal lineage, but all of God’s children and the children in this state.”
At the same hearing, Texas lawmakers allowed the public to share their opinions on the bill. That’s why and how Kai Shappley ended up testifying. After condemning and contradicting Perry’s words, Shappley commended the lawmakers who were supporting transgender citizens.
“I want to say thank you to those of you who are sticking up for kids like me,” she said. “By the time I’m in college, you will be celebrated in the history books.”
Source: WLTX News 19, Texas Tribune,
