Tag Archives: Equality Texas

Patrick doubles down on potty politics

Posted on June 2, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

It’s potties all the way down. Declaring that “this fight is just beginning,” Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Tuesday escalated his battle against guidelines in Texas and across the country that allow students to use the bathroom that corresponds with … Continue reading →

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Dan Patrick is obsessed with children’s bathrooms

Posted on May 11, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

This guy, I swear. Transgender advocates derided Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Wednesday for what they described as his “fake outrage” over the Fort Worth school district’s new transgender bathroom guidelines, calling the Republican a shameless bully. “A bully like … Continue reading →

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Strategizing for the next HERO fight

Posted on April 7, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Good move. Stung by setbacks related to their access to public restrooms, transgender Americans are taking steps to play a more prominent and vocal role in a nationwide campaign to curtail discrimination against them. Two such initiatives are being launched … Continue reading →

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30 day finance reports: Pro- and anti-HERO

Posted on October 8, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Some good news here. Supporters of Houston’s contentious equal rights ordinance raked in $1.26 million during seven weeks of official fundraising, more than doubling opponents’ efforts and fueling a fierce and frenzied media campaign to court voters before the law … Continue reading →

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Ready to engage in the next fight

Posted on July 1, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

No rest for the righteous. On Monday, national and state gay rights leaders and the plaintiffs who sued for marriage equality convened in front of the Texas Capitol to make a different kind of vow: The fight for lesbian, gay, … Continue reading →

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One more holdout concedes

Posted on July 1, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Hood County and its outspoken County Clerk bow to the inevitable. A Texas county clerk said on Tuesday her office will issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, reversing a previous decision that was based on religious objections. Some counties in … Continue reading →

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No response necessary

Posted on June 25, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Unless it’s “We will respect and fully comply with the court’s ruling”. The U.S. Supreme Court could decide as early as this week whether same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry. For supporters of same-sex marriage, it’s an emotional … Continue reading →

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Moving equality forward in San Antonio

Posted on June 1, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From the Rivard Report: Members of San Antonio’s lesbian, bisexual, gay, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community want the city’s next mayor to follow the lead of Dallas and Houston and expand the 2013 non-discrimination ordinance (NDO) to include private companies. … Continue reading →

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Bell’s anti-same sex marriage license bill lives again

Posted on May 27, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

WTF? A Democratic state senator has dredged up anti-gay marriage legislation that advocates thought was dead this session, attaching the language to an uncontroversial county affairs bill under the noses of his fellow Democrats. While gay rights advocates decried the … Continue reading →

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There’s still time for bad bills to be passed

Posted on May 26, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Bad bill #1: After four hours of debate and more than a dozen failed amendments offered by Democrats, the Senate on Monday gave preliminary approval to far-reaching restrictions on minors seeking abortions in Texas without parental consent. On a 21-10 … Continue reading →

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Pointless “pastor protection” bill passes House

Posted on May 22, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Whatever. The House tentatively approved Thursday a bill saying that Texas pastors, churches and religious institutions can’t be sued by private parties or penalized by government for spurning gay weddings. Many clergy, especially Southern Baptist ministers opposed to gay marriage, … Continue reading →

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Here comes that anti-gay marriage bill

Posted on May 12, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Ready or not. “Texas is pioneering a legislative effort to subvert a potential Supreme Court ruling on marriage and lock in discrimination against gay and transgender people and their families,” Kathy Miller, president of the left-leaning Texas Freedom Network, told … Continue reading →

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I repeat, no one will be forced to perform a same sex wedding

Posted on May 5, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

This really is a huge waste of time. For some gay rights advocates, a bill in the Texas Legislature that would allow clergy to refuse to marry same-sex couples would be acceptable if it just included four more words. As … Continue reading →

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No one is going to be forced to perform a same sex wedding

Posted on April 30, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Would someone please reassure Dan Patrick of this before he wets himself? Sen. Craig Estes, R-Wichita Falls, said he sponsored Senate Bill 2065 at the urging of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. The Senate suspended its rules to allow the bill … Continue reading →

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Not a good session for equality

Posted on March 21, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I know, duh, right? Texas lawmakers have filed at least 20 anti-LGBT proposals this year—likely the most in the history of any state. It’s the type of onslaught that was widely expected among LGBT advocates, due to backlash over the … Continue reading →

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Discrimination is bad for business

Posted on March 10, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Good for TAB. The Texas Association of Business has come out against two religious freedom resolutions that critics say would enshrine a “license to discriminate” against LGBT people in the Texas Constitution. TAB, which is the state’s powerful chamber of … Continue reading →

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Another judge finds Texas’ ban on same sex marriage to be unconstitutional

Posted on February 19, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

This ruling is a bit more narrow, however. A Travis County judge ruled Tuesday that the Texas ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional, but there was no rush to the altar after county officials — scrambling to assess the impact … Continue reading →

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The situation in Plano is complicated

Posted on January 27, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I had not realized this. The nation’s largest LGBT political advocacy group indicated this week it is unlikely to help defend a nondiscrimination ordinance in Plano due to exemptions affecting the transgender community. The announcement from the Washington, D.C.-based Human … Continue reading →

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Shoveling sand against the same sex marriage tide

Posted on January 10, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Rep. Cecil Bell is threatening to hold his breath till he turns purple if those nasty federal courts give the go ahead to same sex marriage in Texas. State or local government employees giving out same-sex marriage licenses would stop … Continue reading →

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Working for progress on LGBT issues

Posted on December 26, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I’m always a little wary when I see a phrase like “chipping away” in a story about LGBT issues, but in this case it refers to obstacles, not hard-won victories, so it’s OK. The rights and interests of homosexual Texans … Continue reading →

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Villalba gets defensive about his pro-discrimination bill

Posted on December 23, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t know if Rep. Jason Villalba is willfully dense or just confused, but either way this is a big pile of BS. State Rep. Jason Villalba (R-Dallas) remains adamant that a proposed constitutional amendment he filed earlier this month … Continue reading →

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Republicans will push pro-discrimination bills

Posted on December 15, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. Two days after the Plano City Council approved an ordinance prohibiting discrimination against LGBT people, a Texas legislator filed a proposed constitutional amendment that would limit the ability of cities to enforce … Continue reading →

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Texas woman denied driver’s license over same-sex marriage

Posted on September 22, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

That’s the headline of this Observer story, and it’s just as infuriating as you think it is. A woman who recently relocated from California says the Texas Department of Public Safety refused to issue her an accurate driver’s license because … Continue reading →

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The marriage equality economic boost

Posted on July 27, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

From Equality Texas: The Williams Institute released a report today estimating that marriage for same-sex couples in Texas would add $181.6 million to the state and local economy over a three-year period. The report predicts that 23,000 Texas couples would … Continue reading →

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State court rules gay marriage ban is unconstitutional

Posted on April 25, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

That’s two rulings in Texas, with this one referencing the federal ruling from February. In a move that follows suit with a federal ruling issued in February, a state district judge has deemed Texas’ restrictions on same-sex marriage unconstitutional – … Continue reading →

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Pushing marriage equality into new frontiers

Posted on March 2, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I love the idea behind this. Less than two weeks after a federal judge declared Virginia’s ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional, a new effort has been launched in the South seeking to build wider acceptance of gay and lesbian couples … Continue reading →

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Federal judge strikes down Texas’ anti-same sex marriage law

Posted on February 26, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. A federal judge in San Antonio ruled Wednesday that Texas’ ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutionally deprives some citizens of due process and equal protection under the law by stigmatizing their relationships and treating them differently from opposite-sex couples. U.S. … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Kim Ogg for DA

Posted on February 15, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The Chronicle gives a ringing endorsement to Kim Ogg in the Democratic primary for District Attorney. Ogg has experience as a board-certified felony prosecutor, but she also has the broad view that comes from serving as director of Houston’s first … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: EQTx for Davis

Posted on January 24, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Sarah Davis, that is. A gay rights group Tuesday backed its first Texas Republican in a primary election, for better or worse. State Rep. Sarah Davis, R-West University Place, will find out in March if the endorsement, from Equality Texas, … Continue reading →

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Utah appeals to SCOTUS

Posted on January 2, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

This was inevitable. Utah took its fight against gay marriage to the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday, asking the high court to suspend same-sex unions that became legal when a judge struck down the state’s voter-approved ban. The heavily Mormon … Continue reading →

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Second lawsuit filed against Texas Double Secret Illegal Anti-Gay Marriage amendment

Posted on November 4, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

From San Antonio. A federal lawsuit filed Monday on behalf of gay couples challenges the state’s constitutional amendment against same-sex marriage and seeks to bar Texas officials from enforcing it. “In Texas, Plaintiffs cannot legally marry their partner before family, … Continue reading →

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Waco equality update

Posted on August 1, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

From the Dallas Voice: Waco’s LGBT city employees may soon be protected from discrimination based on their sexual orientation and gender identity. With four of six members present, the city’s Equal Employment Opportunity Advisory Committee voted unanimously Thursday to recommend … Continue reading →

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First lawsuit filed against Texas Double Secret Illegal Anti-Gay Marriage amendment

Posted on July 8, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Probably not a game-changer, however. A Galveston man filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday challenging a provision of the Texas Constitution defining marriage as a union of a man and a woman. Domenico Nuckols, 60, said he believes he will prevail … Continue reading →

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Equality Texas’ best and worst legislators for 2013

Posted on June 3, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Two good lists to peruse while you wait for the Texas Monthly “Best and Worst” lists. It was a good session for Equality Texas with a record 31 endorsed bills in our Legislative Agenda, including multiple pieces of legislation that … Continue reading →

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