Tag Archives: Equality Texas

Jose Rodriguez files Senate version of bill to repeal TX marriage amendment

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State Sen. Jose Rodriguez

State Sen. Jose Rodriguez, D-El Paso, filed companion bill SJR 29 today to repeal the state’s marriage amendment that defines marriage between a man and a woman.

State Reps. Rafael Anchia, D-Dallas, and Garnet Coleman, D-Houston, filed a joint resolution Monday calling for a ballot measure in November to repeal the amendment that prohibits the recognition of anything similar of identical to marriage — including civil unions.

Coleman has filed the repeal bill every session since the amendment passed in 2005, but this is the first time a Senate version has been filed.

Equality Texas Executive Director Chuck Smith said Friday afternoon he was “elated” that Rodriguez filed the bill. Smith had been working to get another senator to file the companion bill, so having Rodriguez back the effort was a wonderful surprise.

“There continues to be this recognition that public opinion of freedom to marry is mainstream and even in the state of Texas more people will support it than won’t,” Smith said, adding that now there are Senate companion bills for both repealing the marriage amendment and banning ant-LGBT job discrimination. “That’s unprecedented on the Senate side. I think increasingly it’s sending a message that within both chambers there’s support for equality.”

Daniel Cates with GetEQUAL Texas started a Change.org petition calling for the Legislature to recognize the freedom to marry after the House bill was filed, titled “Legislature of the State of Texas: Recognize the Freedom to Marry!” So far, 502 people have signed it.

Equality Texas field organizer Daniel Williams released a legislative update video this afternoon outlining the other progress this week that includes committee assignments of three pro-equality bills.

Watch it below.

Continue reading “Jose Rodriguez files Senate version of bill to repeal TX marriage amendment” »

—  Anna Waugh

Texas media outlets highlight problem of anti-LGBT workplace discrimination

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Trans woman Lisa Scheps tells her story of anti-LGBT job discrimination to Austin’s Fox 7. Watch the full report below.

For the first time I can recall, non-LGBT media outlets in Texas are reporting on the fact that it’s perfectly legal for employers here — and in about 30 other states for that matter — to fire someone just for being LGBT. Which is critically important because, as Equality Texas Executive Director Chuck Smith tells Austin’s Fox 7, 80 percent of the public wrongly believes that LGBT people are already protected against employment discrimination. Again, just to be clear, we’re not. Except in Austin, Dallas and Fort Worth — which have city ordinances — you can legally be fired in Texas just for being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.

Coincidentally, Fox 7′s story highlighting transgender woman Lisa Scheps’ story of workplace discrimination aired on the same day that Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio, filed SB 237, which would ban anti-LGBT employment discrimination statewide. Equality Texas’ Daniel Williams says it’s the first time a version of the bill has been filed in the Senate, where one Republican at least, Dallas Sen. John Carona, told Dallas Voice recently that he would vote for it. The House version was again filed this year by Rep. Mike Villarreal, D-San Antonio, who’s also interviewed in the Fox 7 story. Even the Dallas Observer posted something about Van de Putte’s bill. The Observer says the bill’s chances of passage in the Republican-dominated Legislature are “almost zilch,” and that’s probably true, but just getting the media to report on it is progress.

Watch Fox 7′s report below.

Continue reading “Texas media outlets highlight problem of anti-LGBT workplace discrimination” »

—  John Wright

Waco city committee to vote on LGBT protections proposed by Baylor student

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Susan Duty

After Susan Duty realized LGBT workers in Texas could legally be discriminated against in employment because of who they are, she started looking into what she could do locally in Waco.

“It means something to me,” she said, adding that she has a gay brother and gay friends. “I wanted to do something about it.”

Duty, a straight ally, attended an Equality Texas event a few months ago, learning that the state doesn’t offer protections against anti-LGBT job discrimination. Legislation has been filed for the current legislative session to add the statewide protections.

“When I found out that it was legal to discriminate against LGBT people in employment, I was like, that’s ridiculous,” Duty said. “We can’t change it in the state, but we can change it in our city. We can change it in our community.”

Duty then began her research on how to add the employment protections to the city of Waco’s nondiscrimination policy. She and a friend drafted a letter requesting that the city’s Equal Employment Opportunity Advisory Committee recommend the addition of sexual orientation and gender identity to City Council. The policy currently protects employees based on race, gender, color, religion, national origin, age and disability.

The letter will be read to the six-member committee Thursday, Jan. 24, and members will vote whether or not to recommend it to the City Council, which is comprised of five members and the mayor.

Continue reading “Waco city committee to vote on LGBT protections proposed by Baylor student” »

—  Anna Waugh

WATCH: Equality Texas launches ‘Reel Texas/Real Lives’ project

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Last week, Equality Texas released the first video in its Reel Texas/Real Lives project, featuring three families affected by Texas’ policy on supplemental birth certificates, which currently allows only opposite-sex parents to be listed. As we’ve reported, state Rep. Rafael Anchia, D-Dallas, has again filed a bill that would allow accurate birth certificates for same-sex adoptive couples. Watch the video below.

Continue reading “WATCH: Equality Texas launches ‘Reel Texas/Real Lives’ project” »

—  David Taffet

LEGE UPDATE: PolitiFact finds attack on birth certificate bill ‘mostly false’

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A conservative group’s claims that a bill to allow same-sex adoptive parents to have both names on birth certificates would affect everyone’s records were mainly unfounded, according to research by PolitiFact Texas.

The nonpartisan politics fact-checking project analyzed claims Texas Values President Jonathan Saenz made on Austin’s KTBC-TV Nov. 19 about HB 201 filed by state Rep. Rafael Anchia, D-Dallas.

Saenz said the bill would mandate a change in all birth certificates in the state, suggesting that the bill aims to grant gay couples special rights and would lead to two or three fathers listed on certificates in cases of polygamy.

But the bill would only apply to adopted children of same-sex couples, allowing both parents to have their names on the supplemental birth certificate. Texas law currently only allows one man and one woman to be listed on birth certificates, but the bill would remove that requirement from the Texas Health and Safety Code.

PolitiFact found Saenz’s claims “mostly false” saying the potential wording of forms remained unclear after they consulted with a State Health Services representative, who said it’s unknown whether “Mother” and “Father” would be replaced with “Parent 1″ and “Parent 2″ on forms for adopted children if the bill passes. Gender-neutral parent designation on birth certificates would raise the risk of distinguishing records for adopted children, which is prohibited under state law.

Continue reading “LEGE UPDATE: PolitiFact finds attack on birth certificate bill ‘mostly false’” »

—  Anna Waugh

Villarreal again files Texas ENDA. Now where’s that City Council resolution?

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State Rep. Mike Villarreal

State Rep. Mike Villarreal, D-San Antonio, has again filed a bill that would ban employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in Texas.

“An overwhelming majority of Texans believe that everyone should be judged on their capabilities and job performance,” Villarreal said in a press release sent out Monday by Equality Texas announcing the introduction of HB 238. “Hardworking, high-performing employees should not be fired just because they are gay or transgender.”

According to a 2010 Equality Texas poll, more than 70 percent of Texas voters support banning employment and housing discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Villarreal has carried identical legislation in previous sessions, but the bill has never made it out of committee. Frankly, given a solid Republican majority in the House, its chances aren’t a whole hell of a lot better in 2013 — despite those poll numbers as well as an unprecedented recent endorsement from GOP Dallas Sen. John Carona.

And that’s extremely unfortunate, because the federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act, or ENDA, is also unlikely to pass the new Congress, meaning at least two more years during which LGBT Texans can be legally fired. Just. For. Being. LGBT.

“Most people incorrectly assume that it is already against the law to fire someone solely because they are gay or transgender,” Equality Texas Executive Director Chuck Smith said in the group’s release. “What a lot of people don’t realize is that there is no statewide law in Texas to prohibit someone from being unfairly fired for reasons that have nothing to do with their job performance. HB 238 would help protect hardworking Texans from being unfairly fired.”

Three cities in Texas — Austin, Dallas and Fort Worth — prohibit anti-LGBT discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. However, those city ordinances are widely regarded as toothless because they lack the force of state or federal law.

A few years ago, Fort Worth passed a resolution in support of a statewide ban on anti-LGBT job discrimination. The Dallas City Council has failed to do so — despite the fact that Mayor Mike Rawlings is purported to have been working on this issue — costing the city points in the Human Rights Campaign’s recent Municipal Equality Index.

—  John Wright

WATCH: Texas Values president attacks Rep. Anchia’s gay adoption bill

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A bill that would provide accurate supplemental birth certificates to same-sex couples came under fire last night by Texas Values President Jonathan Saenz.

Saenz appeared on Austin’s Fox 7, speaking out against HB 201 filed by state Rep. Rafael Anchia, D-Dallas.

Under the impression that the bill would mandate a change in all birth certificates in the states, Saenz suggested that his three children would have to have theirs changed. But the bill would only apply to adopted children of same-sex couples, allowing both parents to have their names on the certificate. Texas law currently only allows one man and one woman to be listed on birth certificates.

“In the state of Texas, homosexual adoption is allowed, so that’s not the issue here. The issue is that you have a small group of people that want to change a birth certificate for everybody else,” Saenz said. “This is an issue about what is natural and what is common sense. You have a mother and a father.”

Continue reading “WATCH: Texas Values president attacks Rep. Anchia’s gay adoption bill” »

—  Anna Waugh

Lesbian TX House candidate says she changed conversation despite defeat

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Ann Johnson

Lesbian attorney Ann Johnson lost her bid to replace freshman incumbent state Rep. Sarah Davis in Houston’s House District 134.

Johnson trailed in votes throughout election night, ending with 45 percent of the vote to Davis’ 56 percent with about 7,500 votes separating them.

Johnson would have been the second openly LGBT woman elected to the Texas Legislature after El Paso’s Mary Gonzalez.

But while Davis’ record appears to be anti-gay because she voted to ban LGBT resource center at state universities, Equality Texas has said that she expressed an interest in working with them again after collaborating with them on the anti-bullying bill last session.

Johnson told Dallas Voice that she was proud of her campaign and volunteers. She said her campaign deserved credit for the shift in focus to public education and healthcare in the race, two items which Davis started to speak more about because of Johnson.

“I think we ran a great race. We had a tremendous outpouring of support from volunteers who were out phone banks, block walking and standing out at the polls in support of our campaign,” Johnson said. “There was a great shift, I believe, that happened in this district and even Rep. Davis began to speak about trying to be independent and make these issues that we were discussing a priority. I think that’s a credit to the support that we had and the campaign that we ran. I’m excited with what we’ve been able to do and creating a new conversation for priorities in Texas.”

—  Anna Waugh

Longtime assistant Chuck Smith named executive director of Equality Texas

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Chuck Smith

The press release came in after we’d already stepped out the door for Black Tie Dinner on Saturday, but Equality Texas has named Chuck Smith as its new executive director.

Smith has served as interim executive director since August, when former ED Dennis Coleman resigned. Prior to that, Smith served as deputy executive director since 2005.

“It is always gratifying to look nationally and then select one of your homegrown to lead an organization,” said Anne Wynne, chair of the Equality Texas board of directors. “Chuck’s knowledge and experience will allow Equality Texas to start in high gear for the 2013 legislative session. No one is more passionate about working for LGBT equality in our state than Chuck Smith.”

Smith said in the release that Texas is on the cusp of change when it comes to public policies affecting LGBT residents.

“Public opinion continues to move in our direction,” Smith said. “We must work to ensure that public policy also moves in our direction. I look forward to working with and expanding our boards of directors to create the organizational capacity necessary for a statewide advocacy organization in today’s Texas of 25 million residents. Likewise, I am ready to take on the challenges of increasing our membership, as well as our political & electoral power, in order to enact real policy change. It will not be easy, but together we will make equality a reality in Texas.”

Smith’s appointment takes effect immediately, and he now has all of two months to prepare for the session. Good luck, Chuck.

—  John Wright

Hate crime victims find home, hope from LGBT community’s support

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Joshua Harrison and Jeremy Jeffers

The Clarendon gay couple who found a death threat on their front porch Oct. 1 have now found a home with the help of the LGBT community.

Jeremy Jeffers and Joshua Harrison told Dallas Voice two weeks ago they planned to move to Amarillo, which is 60 miles north of Clarendon, as soon as they could get their finances in order.

The couple was struggling financially because they had lost their jobs and were facing discrimination from locals who had heard their story.

Harrison said that over the last few weeks, the LGBT blog Owldolatrous Press set up donations to help the couple move, raising about $2,700 from donors around the country.

He said Whitney Kelly, Equality Texas Foundation board chairman from Amarillo, has helped the couple find a home where they could keep their two dogs and two cats. Kelly gave them the check today. The couple will be moving Sunday.

“The gay community really came together and helped us out,” Harrison said. “I’m really grateful they helped us.”

Harrison’s partner Jeremy Jeffers was offered a job in Amarillo Friday and starts work next week, so Harrison said things have begun to look up for them.

“Things have been getting better,” he said. “People have really gone the extra mile to help us and we really appreciate it.”

Harrison said he and Jeffers hope to stay in Amarillo if the community is safe and accepting during the next year as they adjust to their new home.

—  Anna Waugh