AUSTIN, TX — During its special session, the Texas State Legislature is considering Senate Bill 7 (SB 7), which would provide legal protection to defend women’s single-sex spaces, including locker rooms, rape crisis centers, dormitories, and prisons. Independent Women’s Voice Ambassador Amie Ichikawa testified before the Texas Senate State Affairs Committee in strong support of SB 7.
SB 7 would build on the momentum advanced by Texas lawmakers, this year becoming the 17th state to define “woman” in law, a landmark sex-definition bill which Governor Abbott signed on June 20, 2025. This bill (HB 229) was modeled after Independent Women’s Stand With Women legislative framework, and brings clarity to laws that use sex-based words, prevents judicial activism, and safeguards the privacy, dignity, and equal opportunities of women and girls across Texas.
Amie Ichikawa, Independent Women women’s spaces ambassador and founder of Woman II Woman, was previously incarcerated in the Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF), where she witnessed how vital it is for women to have access to single-sex spaces. Since the passage of California’s SB 132, the Transgender Respect, Agency, and Dignity Act in 2022, which gave male inmates license to self-identify into women’s prisons, Ichikawa has been a leading national voice exposing the harm caused by such policies. After returning to the free world, Ichikawa began sounding the alarm on the dangers posed to vulnerable women when males are granted access to female prison populations.
SB 7 would prevent men from self-identifying into women’s prisons in Texas, preserving both the dignity and safety of incarcerated women. It reflects a growing national consensus that sex—not self-identification—should determine placement in sensitive, sex-segregated environments.
Ichikawa testified in strong support of SB 7 today, and she said:
“Senate Bill 7 would preserve the legal existence of women as distinct from men. This bill provides legal protection to defend women’s single-sex spaces such as locker rooms, rape crisis centers, dormitories, and prisons, which are critical for the dignity and well-being of women, especially those in vulnerable settings like prisons and shelters.
“Recent action on the federal level safeguarding women’s rights is encouraging, but it’s 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.”
Polling conducted by Independent Women shows overwhelming public support: 91% of Americans agree that when it comes to prisons, there are important reasons to separate the sexes.
Following her testimony, Ichikawa joined Texas Values at a press conference where she again urged lawmakers to stand firm in protecting women’s rights by passing SB 7.
Independent Women ambassadors have been on the front lines advocating for the protection of women’s sports and spaces in Texas. Ichikawa previously testified alongside Riley Gaines and Payton McNabb in support of House Bill 229.
See more of Independent Women’s work in Texas below:
- Texas Becomes 17th State to Define ‘Woman’: Governor Abbott Signs Landmark Law to Protect Women
- Independent Women Celebrates Bipartisan Passage of Texas Stand with Women Legislation
- Pro-Woman Legislation Receives Bipartisan Support in Texas House and Advances in the Senate, Following Independent Women Ambassadors’ Powerful Testimonies
- Payton McNabb and Amie Ichikawa in Texas To Urge Lawmakers To Stand With Women
For media inquiries or to book Payton McNabb and/or Amie Ichikawa, please email [email protected].
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Independent Women fights for women by expanding support for policy solutions that aren’t just well-intended, but actually preserve and advance opportunity and well-being.
