Tag: Houston

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Houston: Opponents of LGBT protections ordinance fall short of signatures to force referendum

Houston Mayor Annise Parker

From Tony Merevick at Buzzfeed:

Houston Mayor Annise Parker and City Attorney David Feldman announced Monday that opponents of the city’s new equal rights ordinance, or HERO, failed to submit enough valid signatures for their petition to force a voter referendum on the measure. Feldman also said that much of the petition was too problematic to be considered.

“With respect to the referendum petition filed to repeal the ‘HERO’ ordinance, there are simply too many documents with irregularities and problems to overlook,” Feldman said. “The petition is simply invalid. There is no other conclusion.”

Feldman said that out of the tens of thousands of signatures submitted, about 15,200 were found to be valid — short of the 17,269 signatures required to bring the matter before voters in November. Opponents, organized by the No Unequal Rights coalition, claimed they had at least 30,000 valid signatures when they submitted the petitions to city officials July 3.

Parker said she anticipates the petitioners will now take the matter to court, and for that reason, she said she’s suspended the implementation of the ordinance, “not indefinitely, but to allow for these issues to work their way out.” With that, Parker said she is confident a court will agree with the city’s signature verification process.

The Houston Equal Rights Ordinance passed on May 28th in a city council meeting by a vote of 11-6.

Before the ordinance’s passage, Houston was the largest city in the US without any LGBT protections.

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Houston: Anti-gay coalition gathers twice the amount of petition signatures needed for repeal of LGBT protections

With 17,269 signatures needed, anti-gay opponents of the recently passed Houston Equal Rights Ordinance turned in 50,000 signatures to trigger a November vote to repeal the measure.

The coalition of conservative political figures and faith leaders have opposed the ordinance from it’s earliest stages. Now they say Houston does not want the protections in place for LGBT citizens and the ordinance should be voted on by Houstonians.

More background via Lone Star Q:

The Houston Equal Rights Ordinance, known as HERO, prohibits discrimination in employment, public accommodation and housing on the basis of sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, familial status, marital status, military status, religion, disability, sexual orientation, genetic information, gender identity or pregnancy.

Before the ordinance passed in May, Houston was the only major city in the U.S. that lacked citywide LGBT protections.

Supporters of the ordinance have said they feel a ballot measure in November could have the unintended effect of boosting the Democratic ticket in Harris County by galvanizing pro-LGBT voters.

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Houston passes LGBT protections ordinance by vote of 11-6

After more than 200 speakers testified today, the Houston City Council, led by openly gay Mayor Annise Parker, passed a sweeping LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination ordinance.

The vote was 11-6.

The ordinance protects Houston citizens on the basis of “sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, familial status, marital status, military status, religion, disability, sexual orientation, genetic information, gender identity, or pregnancy.”

Houston, with over 2.1 million residents, is the fourth largest city in America.  Until today, Houston was the only major US city without a nondiscrimination ordinance.

Congratulations Houston!

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Tony Perkins hating on equal protections in Houston

Tony Perkins has become famous for his use of hyperbole to support his positions. When he cites “serious criminal punishment” for violating the Houston ordinance, what he is referring to is a fine of “not less than $250 nor more than $500.”

Houston’s fine for exceeding the speed limit by 15mph is $240.
 

“Can five words change the outcome of a radical measure in Houston? Locals hope so. When openly lesbian Mayor Annise Parker said, ‘This debate is about me,’ she may have been the undoing of the very ordinance she’s fighting for. Under the watchful gaze of the rest of the country, America’s fourth largest city has been locked in a vicious debate over an anti-freedom, anti-safety, anti-Christian proposal that could shape the landscape for special privilege. Wednesday, the public battle reconvenes, as the City Council votes on a measure that would force Houstonians to celebrate homosexuality and transgenderism, regardless of their personal beliefs, or face serious criminal punishment.

“As part of the bill, Mayor Parker (who said this effort was ‘intensely personal’) men would be allowed to use women’s showers, locker rooms, and bathrooms (and vice-versa) based on their ‘perceived gender’ — opening the door (quite literally) for sexual predators to prey on women and girls under the guise of gender confusion. The backlash against the ordinance has been severe, thanks in large part to a strong coalition of pastors and local conservatives who refuse to be steamrolled by the forces of political correctness. While the actual vote was put off, the opposition hasn’t. It continues to sound the alarm to local families about the devastation this could inflict — not just on Houston, but any city emboldened to try a similar stunt.” – Hate group leader Tony Perkins, via press release.

Read the ordinance here.

(h/t JMG)

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Houston Pastor: We should be able to deny Jews services, but we’re talking about gays today

Pastor Becky Riggle:
“Yes, I am saying that, but that is not the issue we’re talking about today”

See, this is exactly what we need – a nice civil discussion in an open forum.

Pastor Becky Riggle and her husband Steve oppose Houston’s pending LGBT rights ordinance saying business owners should have a right to deny service to LGBT customers, so long as they cite their faith in doing so.

BUT, when Houston city council member Ellen Cohen asked Riggle if business owners could deny services to Jewish folks because that faith may offend the business owner, Riggle gets all giggly and says “no” and “yes” and “no.”

COHEN: “So you’re saying yes, they do have a right to refuse me service as someone of the Jewish faith?”

RIGGLE: “No. No, I’m not saying…[laughs]…Yes, I am saying that, but that’s not the issue we’re discussing today.”

See – the anti-gay folks don’t like to be quite this transparent about what it is they are actually doing. The law, as written, would allow businesses to discriminate on just about any level as long as religious beliefs were cited. But what they really WANT the law to say is “we just want to discriminate against gays.”

But if Riggle were to say that, it wouldn’t sound very nice, would it?

You know, sometimes the word “bigot” isn’t a slur.  It’s just accurate.

(via Good As You)

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Houston: Mayor Annise Parker introduces Equal Rights Ordinance

Today Houston Mayor Annise Parker introduced the Equal Rights Ordinance, which if passed, will protect all Houstonians from discrimination in the workplace, housing, and public accommodations.

The proposed ordinance covers both public and private workers from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

HRC National Field Director Marty Rouse released the following statement thanking Mayor Parker for her leadership on this legislation:

“It is far past time to protect the citizens of Houston from all forms of discrimination, including discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. As the nation’s fourth largest city, Houston is an epicenter for business and culture. Cities thrive when all citizens feel welcome and part of the cultural fabric. Today, Mayor Parker told every Houstonian that they are a valued part of the city’s future.”

(via Human Rights Campaign)

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Houston Mayor Annise Parker over criticism that she married long-time partner: “Get over it”

Houston Mayor Annise Parker recently took four days off to marry her longtime partner Kathy Hubbard in Palm Springs.

Typically, Texas Republicans went on the attack saying her marriage was politically motivated, KHOU reports.

GOP State Senator Dan Patrick, currently running in a tough primary for Lt. Governor, said this of Mayor Parker’s nuptials:

“I am not shocked that Mayor Parker decided to elope to California for a marriage that is unconstitutional in Texas. This is obviously part of a larger strategy of hers to turn Texas into California.”

Parker responded to the criticism: “Dan Patrick’s running a political campaign. And he wants to make the gay community a whipping boy in that political campaign. And he thought I was an appropriate target. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. And I don’t think that’s unusual….

Critics questioned the timing of her wedding, observing it occurred only weeks after being sworn into office for her final term. Mayor Parker pointed out that the couple married on what they have always considered their anniversary – January 16th – the date when they privately committed themselves to each other.

Says Parker, “You don’t commit 23 years of your life to someone to make a political statement…I took four days off. I had to leave my home state and make a little wedge of time to marry the woman I love. They can get over it.”

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Houston Mayor Annise Parker marries longtime partner

Kathy Hubbard (L) and Mayor Annise Parker (R)

Via press release issued by Houston:

Mayor Annise Parker and her long-time partner, First Lady Kathy Hubbard, were joined in marriage today in a sunset ceremony held at a private home in Palm Springs, California.

A small gathering of family and friends, including the mayor’s mother and Ms. Hubbard’s sister, were on hand for the exchange of vows, which were presided over by the Reverend Paul Fromberg, a family friend from San Francisco. Two other close friends from Houston, Judge Steve Kirkland and Mr. Mark Parthie, served as the attendants and formal witnesses.

Mayor Parker and the First Lady selected January 16th for their wedding because it marks the 23rd anniversary of the start of their lives together.

“This is a very happy day for us,” said Mayor Parker. “We have had to wait a very long time to formalize our commitment to each other. Kathy has been by my side for more than two decades, helping to raise a family, nurture my political career and all of the other ups and down and life events that come with a committed relationship. She is the love of my life and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life married to her.”

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Houston: Federal judge refuses to halt same-sex benefits for city employees

A federal judge on Thursday denied a request for a stay that would have halted spousal benefits for gay Houston city employees, Lone Star Q reports:

U.S. District Judge Lee Rosenthal considered the request after the case was moved from state court to federal court by the defendants — Mayor Annise Parker and the city of Houston.

Harris County GOP Chair Jared Woodfill, on behalf of taxpayers Jack Pidgeon and Larry Hicks, sued Parker and the city in December after she extended benefits to the same-sex spouses of city employees who are legally married in other states.

State District Judge Lisa Millard, a Republican, issued a restraining order halting the benefits, before the city moved the case to federal court, where Woodfill sought another restraining order. Following a lengthy hearing on Thursday afternoon in Houston, Rosenthal denied the request.

(via Towleroad)

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Houston Mayor Annise Parker announces same-sex spousal benefits for city employees

Houston Mayor Annise Parker

Annise Parker, openly lesbian three term mayor of Houston, announced today that city employees who are legally married in other states are now eligible for spousal benefits.

Via press release:

A 2001 voter-approved City Charter amendment has previously been relied upon as the basis for prohibiting the granting of same-sex benefits. However, the amendment specifically permits benefits to be provided to “legal spouses” of employees.

After a careful review of recent case law, the city legal department believes continued application of the charter amendment so as to deny same-sex spousal benefits would be unlawful because it treats employees differently on the basis of sexual orientation.

“Based on the right to equal protection under the law, it is unconstitutional for the city to continue to deny benefits to the same-sex spouses of our employees who are legally married,” said Mayor Parker. “This change is not only the legal thing to do, it is the right, just and fair thing to do.”

Similar benefits are currently available in other major Texas cities: Austin, El Paso, Fort Worth, Dallas and San Antonio.