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Richard Linklater Directed An Epic PSA Attacking Texas' Anti-Trans Bathroom Bill
Academy Award-winning director Richard Linklater latest "film" spans a mere 1/166th of Boyhood's run time, but it packs a whole lot of punch.
The legendary Texas director was recruited by the ACLU of Texas and nonprofit Legacy Community Health to direct a short PSA taking aim at a state anti-trans bathroom bill similar to previous legislation in North Carolina and Indiana. According to the Dallas News, the Texas bill "has been decried by businesses, law enforcement leaders and civil rights groups as unnecessary and discriminatory."
"[Texas] Lt. Gov. Patrick and other state lawmakers who support S.B. 6 portray the bill as a 'common sense' protection of 'common decency’,” Terri Burke, executive director of the ACLU of Texas, said in a statement Monday, according to the San Antonio Current. “There's nothing decent about a proposed law that would exclude transgender people from public spaces or bar them from participating in public life. With this campaign we hope to raise awareness on the issue and ensure that Texas doesn't consign our transgender brothers and sisters to second-class status under the law."
The 60-second spot uses a little potty humor to underscore its central message: "This isn't a privacy issue. It's a discrimination issue." The powerful PSA is part of the epically named "I Pee With LGBT" campaign, and yes, you can also purchase "I Pee with LGBT" merch (all proceeds go to the ACLU of Texas, obvi). Watch the full PSA below:
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