Democratic majority —  or change in GOP leadership — could pave way for LGBT advances in Texas in 2009

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AUSTIN — In last year’s state legislative session, an unprecedented number of pro-LGBT-equality amendments — three — were introduced on the floor of the state House.

Two of the amendments passed, and about 95 of the 150 representatives in the House voted in favor of one or more of the three, according to Randall Terrell, political director for Equality Texas, the statewide gay rights group.

However, none of the pro-equality amendments advanced to the state Senate, after they were stripped from legislation by conservative House Speaker Tom Craddick’s leadership, Terrell said.

“It’s not Texans in general that are anti-equality,” Terrell said. “It’s a conservative wing that happens to have control of the Texas House.”

Terrell and others are hoping that will change after Nov. 4, when voters cast ballots in several hotly contested races that could significantly alter the makeup of the chamber.

If Democrats pick up five seats in this year’s election, they’ll have a majority in the state House, allowing them to install their own speaker when the 2009 session begins in January. But even if Democrats pick up only a few seats, they could help unseat Craddick, a Republican from Midland, and replace him with a more moderate member of the GOP.

“Even if you just had a different Republican leadership, the anticipation is they would allow [pro-equality] legislation to move forward and allow people to vote on it,” Terrell said.

In 2009, such legislation could include a ban on bullying based on sexual orientation/gender identity in public schools; a bill granting hospital visitation rights to same-sex partners; and a ban on workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation/gender identity, Terrell said.

“Those are the types of things that could gain traction because they appeal to a broad base of people,” he said.

At the very least, Terrell added, new leadership in the House would make it less likely for the LGBT community to come under attack by the Legislature.

No pro-equality bill has passed the Legislature since the James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Act of 2001, which includes “sexual preference” but not gender identity. And in the three sessions since then, the Legislature has passed a statutory ban on same-sex marriage, placed a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage on the ballot; and repeatedly threatened to ban gay foster parenting.

Meanwhile, Texas continues to rank near the bottom when it comes to LGBT equality, with only 13 states receiving lower scores in one national ranking compiled by Equalitygiving.org.

Given all this, and despite plenty of competing election priorities, the importance of state House contests hasn’t been lost on gay rights groups.

In an unprecedented move, the Human Rights Campaign has poured more than $120,000 into local Texas races through its Texas Families PAC, according to Jeff Strater, co-chairman of HRC’s steering committee for Dallas-Fort Worth. Strater said it marks the first time the national organization has given money to state legislative candidates in Texas.

In addition to equality at the state level, Strater said HRC is concerned about Congressional redistricting that will occur following the 2010 U.S. Census. With a growing population, Texas is likely to gain seats in Congress, and the districts for those seats will be drawn by the state Legislature.

In North Texas, in addition to contributing to the re-election campaign of Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez, HRC helped fund campaign staff positions for Democrat Carole Kent, who’s trying to unseat Republican Rep. Tony Goolsby of Dallas, as well as for two Democratic House candidates in Tarrant County.

In Dallas County, Stonewall Democrats of Dallas has endorsed six House candidates this year, including Emil Reichstadt, who’s trying to unseat Republican Dan Branch in District 108. Stonewall Democrats has contributed about $7,000 to Reichstadt’s campaign, according to President Jesse Garcia.

Although Branch’s district includes portions of Oak Lawn, the incumbent has a decidedly anti-gay voting record during his six years in the Legislature.

Both Stonewall Democrats and Equality Texas’ PAC, Texas Equity, have also endorsed Rep. Allen Vaught of Dallas, who’s in a tough race against Republican Bill Keffer, whom Vaught unseated in 2006.

Texas Equity PAC has endorsed a total of 10 House candidates statewide, including Rep. Paula Pierson, D-Arlington.

Also in Arlington, Democrat Chris Turner is trying to unseat Republican Bill Zedler. And in Fort Worth, Rep. Dan Barrett is trying to hang on to the seat he won last year from Republican Mark Shelton.

Dan Graney, president of the Texas Stonewall Democratic Caucus, said he believes winning a Democratic majority in the House this year is “a very doable proposition, especially if there’s a tsunami of voter turnout.”

Graney said in addition to contributions by individual chapters of the gay Democratic group, the caucus recently distributed about $6,000 to House and Senate candidates across the state.

“If the House would turn blue, we would not be fighting these anti-LGBT bills like we have in the past, and perhaps we can advance some pro-LGBT legislation,” Graney said. “It would make a huge difference as far as our issues are concerned.”




This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition October 24, 2008.