Tag: Texas legislature

Posted on

Texas Democrats Walkout To Stop Voter Restriction Bill Vote

Texas

A high school senior was expelled right before the school year for coming out as gay and proud With a midnight deadline hanging over the proceedings, Texas Democrats staged a walkout in the state House successfully blocking a voting bill that would have made it harder to vote by mail, limit driving non-family members to the polls, and more. From the Washington Post:

The exodus from the floor came after Chris Turner, the House Democratic chairman, sent instructions to colleagues at 10:35 p.m. Central time instructing them to exit the House, according to an image shared with The Washington Post.

“Members, take your key and leave the chamber discreetly,” Turner wrote, referring to the key that locks the voting mechanism on their desks. “Do not go to the gallery. Leave the building.”

Texas sets a quorum for each legislative chamber at 2/3 of the elected members (Texas Constitution Article 3, Section 10). In the House, that means 100 representatives have to be present for a vote. Republicans only have 83 House seats. The bill (Senate Bill 7) would ban drop boxes and drive-through voting – popular practices used in heavily Democratic Harris County last year. It would have moved early voting hours on Sundays to the afternoon. That clause was clearly aimed at the get-out-the-vote programs known as ‘souls to the polls’ popular among Black churchgoers. The bill is dead for now, however, Gov. Greg Abbott (R) announced he will call a special legislative session to address the bill again later in the year.

Posted on

News Round-Up: June 19, 2017

Facial hair didn’t keep these two from finding gay bliss
(via Instagram)

Some news items you may have missed:

• A religious leader for Russia’s Old Believers is urging Russian men to stop shaving because growing a beard will “protect themselves from homosexuality.” The man has clearly never attended Bear Week.

• A straight man, who was the victim of anti-gay animus for years because his employers perceived him to be gay, has been awarded $17.4 million in a discrimination law suit.

• As the Texas legislature heads back to Austin for a special session called by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in part to consider an anti-transgender “bathroom bill,” a new poll by the University of Texas/Texas Tribune shows only 44% of Texas voters feel the bill is “important” while 47% do not.

• No Justice No Pride, the group that temporarily disrupted the Capital Pride Parade in Washington, D.C., last week, say they are planning a similar action for the upcoming New York City Pride March this coming Sunday. The group opposes, among other things, allowing police officers to march in Pride parades, increasing the number of black and brown queer and trans on Pride committees and ending corporate sponsorships by companies that have a determined negative impact on the LGBTQ community.

• The New York City Council is considering a proposal that would make it illegal for anyone to charge a fee for therapy that aims to change a person’s sexual orientation.

• MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle highlights the increasing number of anti-LGBTQ bills, noting that more than 100 bills in 29 states have been introduced in statehouses across the country. The majority of these bills target the transgender community, or aim to give taxpayer-funded agencies and employees a ‘license to discriminate’ against the LGBTQ community. Watch below.