Texas Senate Bill 7, introduced by Sen. Mayes Middleton (R-11) is headed to the House floor after passing out of committee. SB 7 would preserve Texas women’s right to single-sex spaces, such as locker rooms, rape crisis centers, dormitories, and prisons. Female-only spaces like these are critical for the dignity and well-being of women—especially the most vulnerable.
I had the honor of testifying before the Senate State Affairs Committee this week, in support of this bill. As I told committee members, this issue is deeply personal for me.
I’m a former prisoner who saw firsthand what admitting transgender-identifying males into California’s women’s prisons meant for female prisoners: abuse, invasion of privacy, and pressure to be silent. Male prisoners, many of whom are convicted sex offenders, are being placed into women’s prisons without regard to the safety of the women incarcerated there—simply on the basis of self-declared “gender identity.” These males are often sexually attracted to women, leading to rape in many cases.
In my home state of California, the legislature has responded to complaints by placing condom machines in women’s prisons, adding insult to injury. There is no right to privacy in prisons, and rooms are shared, so prisoners cannot escape (or consent to) hearing and seeing what their cellmates are doing. It’s not just uncomfortable for women behind bars; it’s unjust. And for prisoners with prior sexual trauma, it’s sure not rehabilitation.
My fellow female prisoners and I should have been allowed to focus on serving our sentences without fearing sexual assault.
SB 7 would prevent men from self-identifying into women’s prisons in Texas, preserving both the dignity and safety of incarcerated women.
Legislators have a moral responsibility to protect women in spaces meant for females only. Earlier this year, Texas became the 17th state to define “woman” in law, a landmark sex-definition bill (HB 229) that Governor Abbott signed on June 20, 2025. At the national level, President Trump signed an executive order to define male and female, titled “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government.”
As I testified, recent action on the federal level safeguarding women’s rights is encouraging, but is not enough to ensure the rights of women and girls in Texas are upheld. The Texas legislature must pass SB 7 to ensure these rights are fully safeguarded.
Similar legislation has received bipartisan support across the United States. Recent polling conducted by Independent Women’s Voice shows that 91% of Americans agree, when it comes to prisons, there are important reasons to separate the sexes.
The Senate did the right thing in passing SB 7. Now it’s time for the House to follow suit, protecting women’s rights and helping restore fairness, safety, and dignity to spaces where women are most vulnerable.