Texas trans rights group says text message impersonation campaign sparked hate

A Texas transgender rights group says it was impersonated in a text message campaign this week, which it said spurred online backlash and calls for a state investigation.The Transgender Education Network focuses on education and policy advocacy for the trans and broader LGBTQ+ communities in Texas. Earlier this week, Texas residents began to receive text messages linking to the organization’s online materials, namely resources about how to navigate anti-LGBTQ+ school policies, the Texas Tribune reported.“We are aware of text messages that have been circulated concerning [the Transgender Education Network] that appear to have been issued by or on behalf of the organization,” the organization wrote in an Instagram post Wednesday. “These text messages were not authored, authorized, approved, or distributed by [the Transgender Education Network] and are not affiliated with our organization. The texts do not represent the official position or communications of the organization.”Related: Texas Republican bill would make simply being transgender a felony See on Instagram While at least some of the materials come from the Transgender Education Network, the organization alleged the texts were sent by an unidentified client. On Wednesday, the organization issued a cease-and-desist to two text message companies, Peerless Network and Infobip, urging them to block further messages from the text campaign.“Because the messages reference nothing but [the Transgender Education Network’s] domain, a reasonable recipient will conclude that [Transgender Education Network] sent them, and that [Transgender Education Network] is texting strangers about sensitive subjects without their consent,” reads the cease-and-desist letter, according to the Tribune. “That impression is false, and it is already causing irreparable damage to our client’s reputation.”Some Texas residents alleged that the texts were sent specifically to Republicans and their social networks, accordin