Texas literally just defined 'sex' as 'being male or female' in a bill about ride-hailing

What does "sex" have to do with ride-hailing? Theoretically nothing, unless the Texas House of Representatives has a say.

A regular old ride-hailing bill in Texas took a turn on Wednesday when the Texas House voted in favor of an amendment that defines "sex" as "the physical condition of being male or female."

Republicans Briscoe Cain and Tony Tinderholt proposed the amendment, which modifies the section of the bill that prevents ride-hailing drivers from discriminating against passengers on the basis of "location or destination, race, color, national origin, religious belief or affiliation, sex, disability, or age."

Now, "sex" in that nondiscrimination clause is defined as "the physical condition of being male or female." That's not entirely wrong, since sex, not gender, is the term used to refer to male or female sex assigned at birth. It's just a weird move from Texas Republicans. The need to define "sex" — not usually explicitly defined in nondiscrimination clauses — seems like a slight to the transgender community, especially coming from proponents of bathroom bills.

The Texas House voted 90-52 in favor of the amendment. Amendments that would have added gender identity and sexual orientation to the non-discrimination clause failed, according to Dallas Morning News reporter Madlin Mekelburg.

The bill passed 110-37, with the amendment defining sex, later on Wednesday.

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Besides this unexpected turn of events, the Texas bill proposed regulations for ride-hailing in the state that fell in the usual categories: background checks, fares, airport fees, requirements for drivers and their cars, privacy of passenger information, and the like.

The bill regulating ride-hailing statewide was of particular note since Austin, Texas, imposed its own regulations last year that prompted Uber and Lyft to leave the city. The bill would preempt local and city regulations in favor of the state's (kinder-to-Uber) terms.

Those terms now involve the definition of "sex" in the case of discrimination against a ride-hailing passenger.

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