Tag Archives: julian castro

Stonewall Democrats of San Antonio withholds endorsement of Julian Castro

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Mayor Julian Castro

Mayor Julian Castro

Stonewall Democrats of San Antonio did not endorse Mayor Julian Castro in his re-election bid.

Castro signed a Freedom to Marry pledge last year along with mayors from Austin, Houston and several San Antonio suburbs. In his keynote speech at the Democratic Convention, he said gays and lesbians have a right to marriage equality. And he was the first mayor of his city to march in a Pride parade, serving as grand marshal.

But when Stonewall sent him a questionnaire this year, the mayor refused to sign it. According to the San Antonio Express News, Castro just doesn’t like these type of surveys.

“First, I don’t like those surveys, the ones that say, ‘Yes or no,’” Castro told the newspaper. “They don’t need to read a survey. They just need to read my record.”

Continue reading “Stonewall Democrats of San Antonio withholds endorsement of Julian Castro” »

—  David Taffet

Could TX elect a lesbian governor?

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Mayor Annise Parker polled 40 percent against Gov. Rick Perry’s 47 percent in a Public Policy Polling poll

Public Policy Polling’s latest indicates that Texans are ready for a change in the governor’s office. The polling outfit looked at everyone from one of the LGBT community’s staunchest opponents to a member of the LGBT community.

Of Republican Primary voters, 41 percent want Gov. Rick Perry to run for another term while 47 percent want someone else. Among Texans in general, 31 percent favor another Perry term while 61 percent don’t.

Attorney General Greg Abbott is the governor’s closest opponent and trails Perry by just 3 points. But Abbott doesn’t have good name recognition. Among voters who know him, he leads 55 to 33 percent. (Abbott is perhaps best know in the LGBT community for challenging two same-sex divorces.)

The poll shows that Democrats have a better chance to taking the governor’s mansion if Perry wins the Republican Primary.

Against three Democrats, Perry would get 47 percent of the vote, according to PPP. San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro polls 42 percent, State Sen. Wendy Davis would get 41 percent and Houston Mayor Annise Parker would get 40 percent.

Castro was a strong supporter of nondiscrimination in San Antonio. Davis ran for re-election last year with support from Equality Texas and Stonewall Democrats of Tarrant County. Parker, who is lesbian, is in her second term as mayor, making Houston the largest city with an LGBT person at the helm.

None of the Democrats has indicated whether they have interest in running for governor yet. Abbott has told supporters he plans to run.

The general election will be in November 2014.

—  David Taffet

San Antonio mayor appoints LGBT liaison in response to city’s MEI score

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Adam Greenup

After reviewing San Antonio’s score on the Human Rights Campaign’s new Municipal Equality Index, Mayor Julian Castro took action in appointing a mayoral LGBT liaison to keep him informed about LGBT issues.

San Antonio scored a 48 out of 100, compared to Austin’s 91 score and Dallas’ 76.

“We weren’t last in Texas, but our score showed room for improvement,” Castro told the San Antonio Express-News.

Castro appointed Adam Greenup last week. He currently serves as senior policy adviser to Castro and will continue in that role in addition to his new duties as LGBT liaison.

Greenup has worked with the LGBT community during his time as chief of staff for Councilwoman Mary Alice Cisneros.

“My life experiences have provided me a good foundation to connect with members of the LGBT community and groups that feel like they are underrepresented in the community,” he said. “I am a familiar face a lot of members of the community feel comfortable going to.”

HRC reports on its blog that Greenup hasn’t wasted any time getting to know people in his new role as LGBT liaison for the mayor, attending a local HRC Steering Committee after his appointment.

“The local San Antonio LGBT community and HRC are thrilled that Mayor Castro took this important step,” HRC regional field director Karin Quimby writes.

While Dallas officials have pledged to increase the city’s score by 10 percent this year, no specific initiatives have been announced yet.

—  Anna Waugh

DNC keynoter Julian Castro has been strong LGBT ally in San Antonio

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Mayor Julian Castro at San Antonio’s gay Pride in 2009 (via the San Antonio Express-News).

San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro, who keynotes the Democratic National Convention tonight, has been a friend to the LGBT community since he was elected in 2009.

Soon after he was elected, Castro became the first mayor of that city to serve as grand marshal of the Pride Parade.

When a Christian radio station talk show host organized a protest of Castro’s participation in Pride, Castro responded firmly about where he stood.

“To equate lesbians and gays with something immoral is just wrong,” he said.

Earlier this year, Castro signed the Freedom to Marry Pledge.

“Today I proudly joined the mayors of Houston, Austin, New York, Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles and more than 60 other American mayors of cities big and small in support of the ‘Mayors for the Freedom to Marry’ petition for same-sex marriage equality,” Castro wrote on his Facebook page the day he signed the pledge.

Last September, Castro spearheaded a push to offer domestic partner benefits in his city, which passed the City Council on a 8-3 vote. The item was originally part of the general city budget but was pulled out as a separate item and council members were able to comment on it.

“This is not a new issue — this should have be done some time ago,” Castro said, speaking in support of DP benefits.

Speaking to Stonewall Democrats in 2009, Castro told the group there are no second-class citizens in San Antonio.

When he speaks tonight, Castro will become the first Hispanic keynote speaker at a national Democratic or Republican convention. His 15-minute speech is being compared to President Barack Obama’s speech at the 2004 Democratic Convention that began his rise to the White House even before he was elected to the Senate that November.

In his keynote address, Castro is expected to talk about striving for the American Dream. Earlier in the evening, delegates are expected to approve a platform with a number of pro-LGBT planks, including marriage equality. Castro will be speaking to a crowd that includes more LGBT delegates than have ever attended a Democratic convention. There was no advance word about whether Castro would include LGBT issues in his speech, which is set for 9 p.m. Central time.

—  David Taffet

Fort Worth’s Betsy Price won’t sign marriage pledge; N. Texas still has no mayors on list

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Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price in the Tarrant County Pride Parade last year.

In case you missed it, Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price issued a statement the other day saying she doesn’t plan to sign a pledge in support of same-sex marriage. Although Price is a Republican, she expressed support for the LGBT community during her campaign last year and served as grand marshal of the Tarrant County Gay Pride Parade in October. On the marriage pledge issue, however, Price is a taking similar tack to Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings:

“I remain focused on the business of the City of Fort Worth,” Price said in a statement. “The issue of same sex marriage is one for the state, not local government.”

Six Texas mayors have now joined about 100 others from across the U.S. in signing the pledge in support of same-sex marriage, according to Freedom to Marry. But none of those six is from North Texas, which is kinda sad. After all, Dallas-Fort Worth is the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the U.S., so you’d think we’d have a least one name on the list. As it stands, Bexar County is leading the way in the Lone Star State with three mayors who’ve signed the pledge: Julian Castro of San Antonio, Bruce Smiley-Kalff of Castle Hills (pop. 4,202) and A. David Marne of Shavano Park (pop. 1,754). The other three mayors from Texas are Annise Parker of Houston, Joe Jaworski of Galveston and Lee Leffingwell of Austin.

Stay tuned to Instant Tea for coverage of tonight’s protest outside Dallas City Hall and Saturday’s meeting between Mayor Rawlings and LGBT leaders. I’ll also do my best to keep you updated on Twitter, where someday I hope to have 1,000 followers.

—  John Wright

Dallas now largest city whose mayor hasn’t signed pledge in support of same-sex marriage

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Julian Castro

San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro has signed Freedom to Marry’s pledge in support of same-sex marriage, making Dallas the largest city in the country whose mayor hasn’t signed the pledge. Castro becomes the third mayor from Texas to sign the pledge, joining Austin’s Lee Leffingwell and Houston’s Annise Parker. San Antonio is the nation’s seventh-most populous city, and Dallas is 9th. The mayors of all eight cities larger than Dallas have now signed the pledge. Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings says he personally supports same-sex marriage but won’t sign the pledge. The only other mayor in the top 1o who hasn’t signed the pledge is Chuck Reed of San Jose, which is No. 10.

According to Facebook, the LGBT direct action group GetEQUAL is planning a demonstration at Kiest Park during a neighborhood meeting that Rawlings plans to attend on Tuesday evening.

—  John Wright

San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro joins “Mayors for the Freedom to Marry”

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Julian Castro

Mayor Julian Castro

San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro has signed onto the “Mayors for the Freedom to Marry” effort. As previously reported by Houstini, Houston’s Annise Parker and Austin’s Lee Leffingwell had previously joined the effort, with Parker serving as co-chair. So that’s 3 Texas Mayors down, 1,212 to go.

Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings is still refusing to sign onto the pledge, despite a change.org petition with 253 signatures and promises of protests at his upcoming public events.

“Mayors for the Freedom to Marry” has also added two new co-chairs, San Diego’s Jerry Sanders and Boston’s Thomas Menino; with New York’s Michael Bloomberg, L.A.’s Antonio Villaraigosa and Houston’s own Annise Parker. The five-co-chairs issued the following statement:

Continue reading “San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro joins “Mayors for the Freedom to Marry”” »

—  admin

WATCH: Anti-gay protesters break out Prop 2 signs to fight DP benefits in San Antonio

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Last week we posted this story from Sam Sanchez at QSanAntonio about how anti-gay forces are fighting San Antonio’s plan to offer domestic partner benefits to municipal workers. On Monday, a group called “Voices for Marriage” held a press conference outside City Hall to oppose the plan. And as you can see above, they broke out their six-year-old signs from the fight over Prop 2, Texas’ marriage amendment. KENS Channel 5 reports:

Extending benefits to city employees in same sex relationships would cost between $300,000 and $400,000 a year — a small fraction of the total $2.2 billion budget which would go into effect October 1.

The move would also put San Antonio in the same category as many other Texas cities and companies, including USAA and Rackspace that currently offer benefits to domestic partners.

However, a local group calling itself “Voices for Marriage” protested the proposed change on Monday outside city hall. The group, citing religious views and current state law, opposes any extension of benefits to domestic partnerships.

Pastor Gerald Ripley issued a “fact sheet” to those in attendance, listing 14 reasons why the group opposes the change. The document said, “We believe marriage is a legally binding relationship between one man and one woman” and “a vote for domestic partner benefits is a vote against upholding the institution of marriage”.

San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro, who backs the change, said the city needs to extend benefits to domestic partners in order to stay competitive with other cities and companies across the country that already offer similar benefits. The mayor dismissed oncerns by many protestors over the cost of benefits as “a smokescreen for their dislike of gays and lesbians.”

Watch video from the press conference below.

Continue reading “WATCH: Anti-gay protesters break out Prop 2 signs to fight DP benefits in San Antonio” »

—  John Wright

What’s Brewing: San Antonio to offer DP benefits; Indiana Republican in gay Craigslist scandal

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Indiana State Rep. Phillip Hinkle

Your weekday morning blend from Instant Tea:

1. Frontrunners Mitt Romney and Michele Bachmann were among the candidates who came out strongly against same-sex marriage during a televised GOP presidential debate Thursday night in Ames, Iowa. Meanwhile, Jon Huntsman defended his support for civil unions, and the virulently anti-gay Rick Santorum actually appeared to express concern for gay people in Iran. Watch a video compilation of the candidates’ remarks on same-sex marriage from ThinkProgress below.

2. The city of San Antonio plans to begin offering benefits to the unmarried domestic partners of employees, both gay and straight, according to the Express-News. San Antonio, the second-most-populous city in the state, would become the fifth to offer DP benefits, joining Austin, Dallas, El Paso and Fort Worth. “For the city as an employer, it means we can be more competitive for great talent,” Mayor Julian Castro said. “For the San Antonio community, it means there are no second-class citizens. We’re a cosmopolitan city and we value everyone in our community.”

3. An anti-gay Republican state representative from Indiana is accused of hiring a male prostitute from Craigslist’s M4M section.The Indianapolis Star reports that State Rep. Phillip Hinkle offered the 18-year-old $80 for sex, plus tips. Hinkle picked up the teen and drove him to his hotel room. But when the teen found out Hinkle was a lawmaker, he got cold feet and called his sister to come get him. Joe.My.God. reports that Hinkle is a right-winger who opposes same-sex marriage and once forced the state to offer an “In God We Trust” license plate.

—  John Wright

Parker, Castro speak at Equality Texas brunch

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San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro

San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro and Houston Mayor Annise Parker were guests at Sunday’s Spirit of Texas Brunch benefiting Equality Texas.

Chuck Smith, deputy director of Equality Texas, said he’s hoping the event raised more than $50,000 — the most ever — in its fifth year.

He said the speakers were all inspirational. In addition to Castro and Parker, they included David and Amy Truong, who lost their son, Asher, last September to suicide.

Castro appeared at the brunch a day after being re-elected.

“A newer, younger generation of Texans will understand how important is to … love who you want to love, and marry who you want to marry,” Castro told the audience.

Parker, meanwhile, is just gearing up for a re-election campaign.

“Until we believe we are just as equal, just as worthy, that our cause has an essential rightness to it, we are not going to win the war,” Parker said at the brunch.

“The discussion was on the legislative work and how people’s lives are affected by what policy is,” Smith said.

To read a full story on the brunch, go here.

 

—  David Taffet