Tag: LGBT protections

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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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Labor Secretary Tom Perez on executive order banning workplace discrimination for transgender individuals

President Obama listens as Labor Secretary Tom Perez speaks at the White House

Labor Secretary Tom Perez on the soon to be issued executive order banning discrimination based on gender identity for employees of federal contractors:

As we celebrate Pride Month and approach the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, the Labor Department is reaffirming its commitment to equal opportunity for all. That’s why we are updating enforcement protocols and anti-discrimination guidance to clarify that we provide the full protection of the federal non-discrimination laws that we enforce to transgender individuals.

These changes reflect current law. In Macy v. Holder, for example, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission concluded that discrimination because a person is transgender is sex discrimination in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs and Civil Rights Center, along with the Employment and Training Administration, will issue guidance to make clear that discrimination on the basis of transgender status is discrimination based on sex.

While the department has long protected employees from sex-based discrimination, its guidance to workers and employers will explicitly clarify that this includes workers who identify as transgender. The department will continue to examine its programs to identify additional pportunities to extend the law’s full protection against discrimination to transgender workers.

Our workforce and our entire economy are strongest when we embrace diversity to its fullest, and that means opening doors of opportunity to everyone and recognizing that the American Dream excludes no one.

(via press release)

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Tony Perkins plays the ‘bad loser’ over LGBT Executive Order

Tony Perkins writing for the anti-gay hate group Family Research Council:

“After 30 days of nonstop, in-your-face celebration, the White House is capping off ‘gay pride’ month with its biggest gift yet. Next Monday, the pot of gold at the end of this President’s rainbow is an executive order giving special workplace benefits to the sexually confused.

“For the far-Left, it caps off a long fight to get the administration to do what Congress has not: order employers to put aside their profits, principles, and practices in the name of political correctness.

“The President’s order implementing part of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) — once considered ‘too radical’ even for his own party — forces government contractors and subcontractors to hire gays, lesbians, transvestites, and transsexuals — regardless of their legally protected morals.

“This level of coercion is nothing less than viewpoint blackmail — and from the federal government no less!”

You’ll note how Perkins calls President Obama’s executive order calling for federal contractors to treat LGBT folks with dignity “special workplace benefits.”

And he refers to the gays as “sexually confused.”

ENDA is hardly “too radical” for the President’s own party – the US Senate passed the legislation months ago in a bipartisan fashion.

What Perkins can’t handle is the fact that those he openly disdains are slowly but surely finding their way to equality.  And he can’t stop it.

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President Obama announces LGBT workplace protections executive order at NYC fundraiser

Earlier this week, President Obama spoke at a Democratic LGBT Fundraiser in New York City where he announced the news that he will be signing an executive order aimed at federal contractors and banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.

Via the Los Angeles Times:

After taking the stage at the Democratic National Committee fundraiser, Obama had to wait for at least a minute for the shouting to die down before he could start speaking. A few minutes later, he delivered in person the news his team made public earlier in the week: that he has ordered them to draft an executive order aimed at federal contractors and banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.

If some lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender Democrats had been dismayed with the president for his long wait before issuing the order, they were over it Tuesday. “Sometimes you guys were a little impatient,” Obama joked. “Sometimes I had to say, ‘Will you just settle down for a second?'”

From the President’s speech via White House press release:

This is a country where no matter who you are, or what you look like, or how you came up, or what your last name is, or who you love — if you work hard and you take responsibility, you should be able to make it.

That’s the story of America. That’s the story of this movement: People who stand up and come out and march, and organize, and fight to expand the rights we enjoy and extend them to other people — people who work against the odds to build a nation in which nobody is a second-class citizen, everybody is free to be who they are; and that you’re judged based on are you kind and competent and work hard, and treat each other with respect, and are a team player and look after your community, and care and love and cherish your kids.

That’s how we’re supposed to be judged. That’s the fight that brought all of us here today. That’s what made it possible for me to stand up here as your President. It’s what gave many people in this room the freedom to live their lives freely. It’s what should inspire us to keep working to make sure all our children grow up in an America where differences are respected and even celebrated, and where love is love.

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Map: States with LGBT workplace protections in place

The White House announced Monday that President Obama will sign an executive order barring federal contractors from discriminating against people based on their sexual orientation.

The US Senate passed the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, or ENDA, in November. The bill ban all employers from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation, in the same manner that federal law prohibits discrimination on the ground of race or religion.

However, the bill stalled in the Republican-controlled House, in part because Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) believes that the bill would “increase frivolous litigation and cost American jobs, especially small business jobs.”

While the president’s executive order will cover some but not all employers, also of concern is the fact that executive orders can be undone by future presidents.

But what about state laws? How many states have laws on the books prohibiting employers from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation? Currently, 21 states plus plus the District of Columbia have laws on the books protecting gays and lesbians from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

(via Washington Post)

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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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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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US Department of Education says Title IX protects transgender students from discrimination

The U.S. Department of Education today issued new guidance that makes it clear that Title IX law protects transgender students from discrimination.

An excerpt:

Title IX’s sex discrimination prohibition extends to claims of discrimination based on gender identity or failure to conform to stereotypical notions of masculinity or femininity and OCR accepts such complaints for investigation.

Similarly, the actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity of the parties does not change a school’s obligations. Indeed, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth report high rates of sexual harassment and sexual violence.

A school should investigate and resolve allegations of sexual violence regarding LGBT students using the same procedures and standards that it uses in all complaints involving sexual violence.

The fact that incidents of sexual violence may be accompanied by anti-gay comments or be partly based on a student’s actual or perceived sexual orientation does not relieve a school of its obligation under Title IX to investigate and remedy those instances of sexual violence.

The ACLU issued this statement:

“This guidance is crystal clear and leaves no room for uncertainty on the part of schools regarding their legal obligation to protect transgender students from discrimination,” said Ian Thompson, ACLU legislative representative.

“The Office for Civil Rights must now take the next step and issue comprehensive guidance on Title IX and transgender students.”

The guidance released today builds on numerous court decisions and a landmark ruling from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission establishing that transgender people are protected under existing prohibitions on sex discrimination.

Nearly 80 percent of transgender students report experiencing harassment as a result of their gender identity at school, according to the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.

(source)

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Human Rights Campaign launches Southern initiative – Project One America

Based on the fact that people are far less inclined to oppose equal rights for gays and lesbians when they know someone who is gay, the Human Rights Campaign will begin a three state project involving “front porch visits” and one-on-one chats in an effort to develop a more open environment for people of all sexual orientations in the South.

Via HRC press release:

Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) announced Project One America (POA), a comprehensive campaign to dramatically expand LGBT equality in the South through permanent campaigns in Mississippi, Alabama and Arkansas. This substantial and lasting initiative—with a three year budget of $8.5 million and a dedicated staff of 20—is the largest coordinated campaign for LGBT equality in the history of the South.

“Right now, this country is deeply divided into two Americas—one where LGBT equality is nearly a reality and the other where LGBT people lack the most fundamental measures of equal citizenship. Project One America is an unparalleled effort to close that gap, and it opens up a bold, new chapter in the LGBT civil rights movement of this generation. In this grand struggle for equality, we can’t write off anyone, anywhere,” said HRC President and Arkansas native Chad Griffin.

Project One America is the very first campaign of its kind to work exclusively on LGBT equality in Mississippi, Alabama and Arkansas—where there are no non-discrimination protections for LGBT people at the state or local level in employment, housing or public accommodations, and where each state’s constitution expressly prohibits marriage equality.

“Despite the legal landscape, it’s long past time that the country stopped treating the South like the ‘finish line’ for equality. HRC has more than 57,000 members and supporters in these states, and there are millions more fair-mined people ready to stand on the right side of history,” Griffin said.