Transgender woman’s photo with Texas governor goes viral

A transgender woman’s photo with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) is going viral as the state’s lawmakers debate a bill that would determine which bathrooms transgender people can use.

The woman, Ashley Smith, posed with the governor for the photo at a campaign event Friday. She posted it Saturday with the caption, “How will the Potty Police know I’m transgender if the Governor doesn’t?”

Smith told CNN that the photo shows that “sometimes it’s not really apparent who transgender people are.”

{mosads}”We’re just regular folks,” Smith said.

The photo now has more than 5,000 likes on Facebook and more than 500 on Instagram.

How will the Potty Police know I'm transgender if the Governor doesn't? #bathroombuddy #satx #indivisible #stopsb6 #noh8 #transgender #translivesmatter #sunsetandsinedie #classroomsnotbathrooms

A post shared by Ashley Smith (@ashleysmithhair) on Jul 15, 2017 at 1:08pm PDT

Abbott’s office did not return a request for comment to CNN about the photo.

Abbott called a special session in the Texas legislature to debate the bill, which would require students to use bathrooms that match the gender on their birth certificates.

The bill was introduced in the state’s last legislative session.

He tweeted out his support for the controversial bill in April, saying that he “will work to get a bill to my desk.”

The measure has created a major rift among Texas Republicans, who are divided on the legislation. A similar bill sparked national outrage after it became law in North Carolina last year.

North Carolina repealed the law earlier this year.