For Immediate Release
MEDIA CONTACT: Susan Risdon, 214-226-6741 susanrisdon@mac.com
Austin, Texas – July 20, 2016– Equality Texas, the largest statewide organization solely dedicated to securing full equality for LGBT Texans, today joined forces with a Houston area Christian Republican mom of a transgender daughter by releasing a new video to educate Texas Republicans about transgender children and parents in Texas.
As the transgender issue is highlighted during national coverage of the Republican National Convention on Fox News with a new 30-second ad featuring a transgender woman, Texas longtime Republican mom Kimberly Shappley is speaking out about her transgender daughter, five-year-old Kai, in a new video released today.
“I am releasing this video to educate my fellow Christian Republican brothers and sisters about transgender children. My child is a beautiful little girl and I am allowing her to be her authentic self. She is happy. Before, it was very difficult to witness depression. My sweet child began praying for Joseph to go to Heaven and live with Jesus. Kai was begging the Lord to let her die. Moments like these helped me to realize transition was necessary. I didn’t know how to do it. I just knew I needed to help my child,” said Kimberly Shappley, mom of a transgender child from Pearland.
“We are private people. We are lifelong Republicans, we are Christian. We are a Houston area family who only want to protect our daughter and live quietly. We did not want to speak out publically, but the lieutenant governor has forced us out of our private lives and into the public arena to protect our daughter. I want Texans to look at my little girl’s photo. This is the face of a transgender child in Texas. Do we as a state really want to force her to go into the boy’s bathroom? Why are we targeting innocent children for political games? The Superintendent of the Pearland school district, who is listening to the direction of the lt. governor and attorney general, wants to force my little girl into the boy’s bathroom. My number one job in life is “a mom” and I am speaking out today to protect my little girl,” said Shappley.
Kimberly Shappley from Pearland never expected this to happen in her life and it took years for this everyday Republican Texan to come to terms with having a transgender child. But, after educating herself and working with doctors who are experts in the field, she accepted her child for who she is and is now speaking out to educate Texans to protect their children.
“We are releasing this very moving and personal video of a Republican Texas mom and her transgender daughter to help educate Texans. We know Texans do not want to discriminate against their fellow LGBT Texans and this video is good opportunity to help educate our fellow Christians and Republicans during the National Republican Convention,” said Chuck Smith, CEO of Equality Texas.
Broadcast Quality Link to the Kimberly-Kai Shappley Video:
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Equality Texas is the largest statewide organization working solely to secure full equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Texans through political action, education, community organizing, and collaboration.