Tag Archives: gay rights

Undead “religious liberty” bill passes House

This is why people caution that no bill is truly dead at the Lege until sine die. Over the tearful opposition of the Legislature’s first-ever LGBTQ Caucus and several failed attempts at a procedural block, the Texas House passed a … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Sometimes, bad bills do die

The calendar giveth, and the calendar taketh away. One of the the biggest priorities for Texas Republicans this session appears to be on the verge of legislative death. A series of bills that would broadly prohibit local governments from regulating … Continue reading

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Sometimes, bad bills do die

Undead “religious liberty” bill passes Senate

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Scott Braddock: On a vote of 19 to 12, the Texas Senate votes to advance the Holy Chicken Nugget bill to third reading #TxLege — Scott Braddock (@scottbraddock) 6:32 PM – 15 May 2019 … Continue reading

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Undead “religious liberty” bill passes Senate

“What is dead may never die”, bad bills edition

That nasty anti-LGBT bill that was killed in the House has been revived in the Senate. After LGBTQ lawmakers in the Texas House killed a religious liberty bill they feared could be dangerous to their community, the Texas Senate has … Continue reading

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Score one for the Texas House LGBTQ Caucus

Nice. Hours before a key deadline, Rep. Julie Johnson used a legislative maneuver known as a “point of order” to bump [a bill that LGBT rights advocates said would have perpetuated anti-gay discrimination] from the debate calendar. It’s now effectively … Continue reading

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

One anti-worker bill made slightly less bad

It’s still a bad bill, just not maximally bad. Republicans’ legislative efforts to ban cities from mandating benefits for employers’ workers took another twist late Wednesday night after a Texas House committee added protections for LGBTQ workers that the state … Continue reading

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

No backsies for Chick-fil-A in San Antonio

Since I mentioned there would be a re-vote, I figured you’d want to know how it went. By a 6-5 margin, San Antonio’s City Council on Thursday narrowly rejected a proposal from mayoral contender Greg Brockhouse to revisit a controversial … Continue reading

Posted in Bidness | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Chick-fil-A follies, part 2

Noted for the record. The city of San Antonio voted 6-4 in late March to exclude Chick-fil-A from its renovation of the airport food court offerings due to the company’s “legacy of anti-LGBTQ behavior.” Shortly after the city’s decision, public outcry in Buffalo, N.Y., … Continue reading

Posted in Bidness, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Three reasons our State Senate still sucks

One: The Texas Senate approved in a preliminary vote Monday its first major anti-abortion bill of the session — a measure that would prohibit state and local governments from partnering with agencies that perform abortions, even if they contract for … Continue reading

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Getting the band back together

I feel like they were a little slow getting off the bench, but the business lobby is back warning about anti-equality bills lurking in the Lege, mostly but not entirely in the Senate. In the spring of 2015, 80 companies … Continue reading

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Getting the band back together

World’s worst pastors drop Austin equal rights lawsuit

Good. A conservative Christian organization has dropped a federal lawsuitthat sought to overturn an Austin anti-discrimination ordinance that offers employment protection based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Dave Welch, head of the Houston-based U.S. Pastor Council, said the decision was … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on World’s worst pastors drop Austin equal rights lawsuit

Some business opposition to SB15

It’s a start. A coalition of business groups and convention and tourism leaders, which includes ASAE, is expressing concern that a pending bill in the Texas Legislature could weaken protections for the state’s LGBTQ workers. ASAE is joining a coalition … Continue reading

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Some business opposition to SB15

Is the anti-sick leave bill also anti-equality?

Could be. Whose word do you take for it? What started as seemingly simple state legislation hailed as good for Texas businesses is drawing skepticism from legal experts and outrage from advocates worried it would strike employment protections and benefits … Continue reading

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The state of equality 2019

From Equality Texas: IN 2019, THE STATE OF EQUALITY IS: OUT OF STEP WITH TEXAS VALUES As the 2019 Texas Legislature approaches the mid-point, Equality Texas has surveyed the current state of equality and concluded that urgent legislative action is … Continue reading

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Same sex employee benefits lawsuit tossed again

This is great, but as always that’s not the end of it. The lawsuit dates back to 2013, when pastor Jack Pidgeon and accountant Larry Hicks sued the city to end the policy. In 2015, after the U.S. Supreme Court … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Equality Texas poll on non-discrimination laws

From the inbox: New data released by national polling organization Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) shows majority support from every major demographic group for laws to protect LGBTQ Texans from discrimination. “This poll shows that Texas has turned the corner, … Continue reading

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , | 17 Comments

RIP, Ray Hill

We have lost an icon. Ray Hill was in the cross hairs, and if the Louisiana hitmen actually showed up in Houston to rub him out, he wanted the media to be wise to what had happened. Hill breathlessly related … Continue reading

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

It’s bill-filing season

Here are some highlights from Day One: House Bill 49, by Rep. Lyle Larson, R-San Antonio, would get rid of daylight saving time in Texas. Some lawmakers have tried to do this in past sessions. House Bill 63, by Rep. … Continue reading

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

World’s worst pastors file suit against Austin’s equal rights ordinance

Exactly what you’d expect from these jerks. A Houston-based religious nonprofit behind the so-called bathroom bill is suing the City of Austin over its anti-discrimination hiring ordinance. The U.S. Pastor Council filed suit in a federal district court late last … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Baptist Ministers Association apologizes for its role in overturning HERO

I’m very glad to see this. The Baptists Ministers Association of Houston & Vicinity issued a joint statement with the Houston GLBT Political Caucus saying the two groups “are building a relationship that recognizes our common equal rights struggle.” The … Continue reading

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Woodfill and Hotze take their next shot at same sex employee benefits

Here we go again. Anti-LGBTQ activists are again asking a Harris County judge to halt benefits for the same-sex spouses of Houston city employees, according to a recently filed motion. The motion for summary judgment in Pidgeon v. Turner, a … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Lawrence decision, 15 years later

Time flies, but society moves slowly. Theirs was an unlikely case. John Lawrence and Tyron Garner weren’t in love, they weren’t a committed couple and it’s not clear that they were even having sex one September 1998 evening in Lawrence’s … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Anti-same sex employee benefits lawsuit moved back to state court

On and on we go. Nearly three years after the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, the city of Houston continues to battle for the rights of its gay workers. On Tuesday, a judge struck down Houston’s attempts to … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Federal court ruling says LGBT workers in Texas are protected from discrimination

This is a big deal. For the first time in Texas, a federal judge said LGBT workers should be protected from employment discrimination based on their gender identity and sexual orientation. Judge Lee Rosenthal, the chief judge in the Houston-based … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Record number of LGBT candidates running this year

OutSmart does the math. A record 40 openly LGBTQ people will run for public office in Texas in 2018, according to an extensive review by OutSmart. That’s roughly twice as many as in any previous election cycle in the state’s … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

More on Mark Phariss

I figured it was just a matter of time before someone wrote a feature story about Mark Phariss’ candidacy for State Senate. The man who sued Texas to overturn the state’s ban on gay marriage will run for Senate as … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on More on Mark Phariss

SCOTUS declines to hear Houston’s appeal of same-sex marriage lawsuit

Disappointing, but nowhere close to the end of the line. Denying the city of Houston’s request, the U.S. Supreme Court will not review a June decision by the Texas Supreme Court, which ruled that the landmark decision legalizing same-sex marriage … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Kirkland for Supreme Court

Good. Houston State District Court Judge Steven Kirkland has announced his candidacy for a seat on the all-Republican Texas Supreme Court, making him the first openly gay candidate to run for the state’s highest civil court. Kirkland, a Democrat, is … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Ruby Polanco

This happened late last month, and kind of got lost in the Harvey fallout. A year after Ruby Polanco first noticed that the San Antonio Independent School District’s non-discrimination statement for students and employees didn’t mention gender identity, gender expression … Continue reading

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Ruby Polanco

Judgmental

The only bench this guy should be allowed on is a park bench. Jeff Mateer, a high-ranking official in Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office who President Donald Trump has nominated for a federal judgeship, said in speeches in 2015 … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Judgmental

City goes to SCOTUS over same-sex spousal benefits

Good. The City of Houston and Mayor Sylvester Turner filed a petition Friday asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review a decision that came down earlier this summer, concluding that states did not have to provide publicly funded benefits to … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on City goes to SCOTUS over same-sex spousal benefits

Pastoral malignancy

Know your enemy. A day before the Texas Legislature ended its special session this week, a session that included a high-profile fight over a “bathroom bill” that appeared almost certainly dead, David Welch had a message for Gov. Greg Abbott: … Continue reading

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 22 Comments

Houston city employees file their own lawsuit (again) on spousal benefits

A shame it’s had to come to this, but this is where we are. On Thursday, three married couples from Houston filed a lawsuit in federal court aimed at forcing the city to preserve health coverage and other benefits for … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Houston city employees file their own lawsuit (again) on spousal benefits

OutSmart talks to Kim Ogg

Another good read about our new DA, one that goes into her personal background in some depth. John Wright: Your father, Jack Ogg, was a longtime Texas state legislator, and your late mother was well-known for her charity work. What … Continue reading

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments