- I'm so excited
that you're here.
Um, the frustrations that I feel
are making the top
of my head blow up,
practically is how I feel.
(laughs)
I was around for the first
issues of "Ms." magazine,
I was there for
Title IX in 1972,
and what frustrates me so
much is the younger women
who don't remember the
fight that has been going on
all this time, so
I'm wondering how,
are you going into
the universities,
how are you finding
the women that you are
trying to find?
- That is an issue, right?
The question, the
point is very good.
There are some women who
were born after all that,
and don't have any first hand
knowledge of what preceded it.
Right? Right.
- I'll tell you why I'm
so encouraged right now.
I think it kind of skipped,
maybe a generation or two,
where we found ourselves feeling
as though things were okay.
We had Title IX, we had
reproductive autonomy,
we had at least some
protections in the workplace.
But what began to happen,
obviously, was the fraying
of those rights and in some
ways an outright assault
against them, as you know.
What that has created is an
awakening in younger women
that I see as very much
like what was happening
in the 1960s and
70s in this country,
and prior to that.
Women are better informed today.
Because they are so
engaged in social media,
and it is a powerful information
and motivational tool,
where the disconnect is, and
why Deeds Not Words was created
is that so many young
women who feel passionate,
who care very much, who
want to make a difference,
don't quite know how to plug in.
And so what our site
does, is it provides them
with real-world,
concrete, tactical ways
that they can get
involved, connecting them
with a host of organizations
that work on gender equality
whether it's in the
reproductive rights space
or the economic space or
running for office space
or sexual assault,
a host of issues,
that wherever it is
that their passion lies,
they can get connected in a way
that they can make a difference,
and I really think it's
up to our generation.
As you said, they
don't understand the
fights that we waged
to try to accomplish
some of these things.
I wasn't even the generation
that can take credit for that,
but I know enough about it
to truly appreciate the work
that was done, and I also
know enough about it to know
that the mantle has
to always be taken up
by the next and the
next and the next.
The symbol of our
organization is a torch,
and of course it's
intended to symbolize
the passing of that torch
and that we each have
a role to play in holding it.
- [Woman] Thank you, keep it up.
- Thank you.
- [Man] Ma'am.
- Thank you for
being here, Senator.
Um, the last Texas
legislative session,
there were more than
20 anti-LGBTQ bills
that were proposed, thankfully
none of them passed.
As the next session come
about, what would be,
beside the economic
argument, what would be
effective angles to use when
we go and lobby on the capitol?
- You know, I think, and
this is gonna go a bit
to the economic side,
and then I'll touch
upon the other side.
On the economic side, most
companies want to do business
in states where they feel there
is a respect for all people.
And, again, North
Carolina's a great example
of where we saw
companies rear their head
when that wasn't happening.
They wanna come to a
climate where they feel like
they're going to do well here,
and the way they do well
is by holding headquarters
or offices in states where
employees want to be, right?
Most people in younger
generations, and getting
a little bit older now,
wanna work in states
where they feel
there's a climate
of respect and
equality at place.
Austin, Texas is a great example
of why the economy is thriving.
It's not just thriving
because it has great hike
and biking trails, it's thriving
because it's a community
that embraces and
supports everyone,
and it creates a culture
where people want to be,
and therefore
companies want to be
because they have a
wonderful pool of employees
from which to draw.
So there are, I think,
these arguments to be made,
that when we as a state,
at the political level,
demonstrate ourselves not
only to be short sighted
on those issues but to
be actually adversarial
to people, whether
it's their orientation
or women's reproductive
rights or whatever,
we show ourselves to be a
state that not a lot of people
may want to come to.
- But so let me
ask you a question,
let me interrupt for a second.
The state is already
perceived by many people,
and I believe by you,
to be adversarial
in exactly the way
you're talking about.
- Yes.
- Have we lost business?
Has the effect that you're
suggesting been visible?
- I think in some ways, yes,
and those are really hard
to demonstrate, because
none of us know the --
- [Man] Right.
- The companies that
have weighed being here
or elsewhere, but I go back
to my experience in Ft. Worth,
with Boeing, and our work to
try to attract Boeing to come,
and there were certain
quality of life issues
that weren't existent
that their employees were
accustomed to and wanted
to be a part of the culture
of where they were.
That was at least a part
of their decision-making.
- [Man] Yeah.
- And I think the more that
we highlight these problems,
the more we make it a part
of their decision making
as they consider what
they're going to do
and where they want to be.
I also think, though,
that one of the things
that we see happening on
issues of sexual orientation
or identity, as well as
what we see happening
with women's
reproductive rights,
is that politicians
have come to understand
that those folks who are on
the right side of the aisle,
who are trying to
attract voters,
particularly in
Republican primaries,
do well by articulating
these arguments,
because it enflames their base,
and it creates an
encouragement for people
to come and vote for them.
And the only way to combat
that is for us to double down
in doing the opposite, in
coming and voting against them,
and in voting for people
who are articulating issues
that are important to us
and demonstrating respect
for the things
that we care about.
- How's your side
doing in that respect?
- Not very well, and
it's very frustrating.
- Well, I'm thinking about
the hero ordinance in Houston
as a great example, you know,
the side that was successful
in that ordinance
did a very good job
of distilling a very
complicated message
down to one word, "bathroom."
By the way, we're living
in that world right now,
and to the questioner's
point, we're gonna
have legislation
most definitely --
- No question.
- In the next legislative
session that tries
to countermand what the
president has put down
as the executive
order on this issue.
How does your side do better?
I mean, the other
side is doing well,
in terms of its messaging
and getting its people out.
- If I may jump
in, I have a, um,
I have an antidote to that,
and that is that only
perverts need bathroom laws.
(laughter and applause)
It's a bit nonsensical,
but then again,
men being in the same
restroom with little girls
is also nonsensical,
and this is what
we needed to fight, I guess.
- [Man] So let's get
you, and then we're gonna
take the next question,
how does your side,
whether it's with the
strategy suggested
or another strategy, do
better on the messaging end
and turning out people as
the other side has done?
- My hope is, and again,
part of my motivation
for this organization's
initiative, is to help grow
greater awareness
and greater turnout
of people who believe otherwise.
In the gubernatorial
race in 2014,
we had a 31% voter turnout,
lowest in the country,
um we have systemic
low voter turnout here,
and there's so many
reasons we could go into.
- We could do two
hours on that subject.
- We most certainly could.
But I think we need to find
our own anger on these issues.
There's a lot of fear mongering
going on on the other side,
but we need to find our
self-righteousness about it,
and we need to understand the
value of each and every one
of our voices in weighing
into this conversation,
and never ever ever
ever ever stay home
when there's election,
an election at stake,
where we're deciding
between candidates
who have differing perspectives
on these questions.
(applause)
- Hi Senator Davis,
um, so I'm wondering,
as a young Millennial woman,
a lot of times we're told
to try to get a
seat at the table,
and that's like the
whole idea, right,
is to try to get there and
get into the conversation.
But when we do get our
seats at the table,
when we are sitting there,
especially as young women,
now today, and especially
when we're going
into male-dominated fields,
like STEM, like medicine,
like politics and
things like that,
what conversations do
we need to be starting?
What conversations do we
need to be making sure
that are happening,
especially to uplift women
who are often more overlooked?
People from underprivileged
backgrounds whose parents
perhaps worked minimum
wage or who aren't used to
college education,
things like that,
what do we need to
do when we get there?
- I think --
- [Man] Good question.
- That's a great question.
Um, one of the things that I
try to be thoughtful about,
and I think as women
I think we ought to be
as thoughtful as we can about,
is talking to and
supporting each other
in those environments,
particularly where we find
ourselves in the minority.
Um, I also believe there
is incredible power
in helping people to
see us as human beings,
and to understand our full
breadth of experiences.
The day of the filibuster,
and all of those stories,
that's what gave that day power.
It was people who
stepped up and decided
that they were going
to share their stories.
And as women in the workplace,
having an opportunity
to talk about
and to pull from each other
what those experiences are,
not just within ourselves but
within our work colleagues,
male and female, I think
really helps to break down
some of the places that we
find ourselves getting stuck.
We get stuck on being,
believing that we have
different perspectives
on issues,
but when we share our
human experiences,
I think we can really try to
break those barriers down.
So starting conversations
about who you are,
where you come from, where your
ideas and values are formed,
can be a really good way,
when the rubber hits the road,
and things start getting
tough, of finding a way
to continue to talk with
each other about how to find
an area of agreement.
I've certainly found that
in the political world.
- Thank you.
- Great.
Let's, um, let's make the time,
please, for these two, okay,
even if we go a little bit
long, if we can, let's go.
- Hi, thank you.
I was wondering how you would
respond to the widespread,
possibly inaccurate belief
that both men and women
hold that women don't
make the same wages
because they don't go
into higher-paying fields.
- It's really interesting,
that is a really good question.
There was an article
in the New York Times,
I don't know, three
or four weeks ago,
about the fact that when
women do go into those areas
of higher pay, and women
begin to occupy them
in greater and
greater percentages,
the pay for those positions
themselves actually decreases.
It's because they
suddenly become seen more
as female-centered occupations,
so it's really fascinating.
And I think that we have
to continue to insist
on asking for our value.
I have the same issue
with my youngest daughter,
who works unbelievably hard
and is tremendously underpaid
in her mother's
opinion, and you know,
encouraging her to be her
own advocate in the workplace
has been quite a
challenge, but I do think
that we have to become
our own advocates.
We don't have to
be ugly about it,
we don't have to be hostile,
but we have to make the point,
and it goes back to, you know,
what kinds of conversations
can we be having
in the workplace.
Let's be open with each
other about what we make,
and let's make sure that if
we feel like we're having
the same responsibility
as someone else,
that we're asking for that.
- You think women
are less likely
to be advocates for themselves?
- I think definitely,
you know, we're,
I don't know what it is
about the way we are made,
but we tend to be, to have
a little bit too much grace,
and to be a bit too
gracious about situations
that we find ourselves in.
No one's going to
do that work for us.
We have to insist
upon it ourselves.
So as we have an
opportunity to rise
in these higher paying levels,
or these greater
responsibility levels,
we have to ask for
the pay commensurate
to the work that we're
doing, just as any man would,
if they were given
that responsibility.
- [Man] Good.
Last question.
- Currently there is
a battle in the South
with a large amount of,
um, transgender people
not being allowed to use the
restroom of their choice,
beginning in Mississippi
and reaching all the way
into Texas, when Lieutenant
Governor Dan Patrick
denounced schools that
were allowing that.
Um, they are suing
the federal government
in the Supreme Court who
are currently allowing
transgender people to use
the bathroom of their choice.
Do you think the gov, the
people should denounce
the politicians' belief
that transgenders
are not people too, and
if so, how should they?
- What a great question,
and what an impressive
young person you are.
(applause)
See this is why we have
faith in the country, right?
- Yeah.
- Let's say
the case that we're
talking about goes back
to your home city
of Ft. Worth, right?
I mean this is Ft. Worth
ISD is where this all began.
- Yeah, it does, and so
let's use Ft. Worth ISD
and lift them up as an example
of a group of people
who are elected
in a place that's considered
fairly conservative
in its voting patterns, who
are doing the right thing.
And as they proceeded
down that path,
they found themselves
at the other end
of a lieutenant governor
who was an adversary,
to say the least.
Yes, we should denounce
it, and the ways
we should denounce
it are myriad.
We can denounce it in our
conversations with our friends,
we can make sure that they're
aware of these issues,
and invite them to understand
why it's so important
that we as a state
and as a country
should not be identified
as being hostile to people
based on sexual
identity or orientation.
But we also have to act in ways,
you're not quite old enough
yet but you will be soon,
where we are supporting
candidates who are willing
to denounce those
attitudes and perspectives.
Again, my hopes are really high,
because when you
look at young people,
when they are polled
across this country,
regardless of whether they
identify as Republican
or Democrat, most of
them will tell you
that they align in
very progressive ways
on issues such as this one,
and I believe we're going
to ultimately find our way
to an end in this conversation,
but for now, politicians who
believe they are rewarded
for articulating this
view, and believe me,
I know Dan Patrick, and I
know he feels he will be
rewarded by doing this
in the political world,
that he has his
own political back
by virtue of what he's doing,
the best way to denounce that
is to kick him out of office
the next time he runs.
(crowd cheers and applauds)
- I'm gonna let you end there.
Let you have that one.
You know this whole concept
of as we go forward,
this change may
come organically,
there is kind of an aging
out of a perspective
that is more --
- There is, thank goodness.
- So that in time, on this
issue or other issues,
there may be change that,
from your perspective,
is a positive accomplishment.
- That's right.
- Uh, let's give Wendy
Davis a big hand,
thank you for being here.
(applause)
Thank you all for coming,
we'll see you again.
Always a pleasure.
- Thank you.