The Texas legislature revived anti-LGBTQ House Bill 3172 as Senate Bill 1978, and the legislation has now passed in both chambers.
SB 1978 seeks to protect businesses and individuals from being penalized by city or government officials if they donate to, or are affiliated with, religious organizations that are known to discriminate against LGBTQ people.
It was dubbed the #SaveChickFilA bill after the San Antonio City Council voted to block inclusion of the fast-food restaurant at the San Antonio airport due to a history of anti-LGBTQ donations.
After members of the House LGBTQ caucus successfully killed the bill in that chamber, Sen. Bryan Hughes (R-Mineola) filed an amended version in the state Senate.
Hughes contends the bill doesn’t contain “an ounce of discrimination.”
But state Rep. Celia Israel (D-Austin) said on the floor of the House, “It’s been cloaked religious freedom, but the genesis, the nexus of this bill, is in hatred.”
State Rep. Mary Gonzalez (D-Clint), who chairs the House LGBTQ Caucus, said the bill “perpetuates the rhetoric that leads to discrimination, to hate and ultimately bullying that leads to the consequence of people dying.”
The legislation was quickly passed in the Senate and sent to the House where the Austin Chronicle reports the bill was approved today by a vote of 79-64.
An amendment added to the bill in the House requires one more vote by the Senate, where it’s expected to pass.
Then the legislation heads to the desk of Gov. Greg Abbott, who has signaled he plans on signing the bill into law.
So. What are the odds I’ll sign the Chick-fil-A bill?
Last week, I reported that the anti-LGBTQ “Save Chick-fil-A” bill in Texas, House Bill 3172, had been successfully torpedoed by out state Rep. Julie Johnson.
The legislation, authored and sponsored by GOP state Rep. Matt Krause, would have banned cities and other governmental entities from taking “adverse action” against anyone for their “membership in, affiliation with, or contribution, donation or other support” to a religious organization.
It became known as the “Save Chick-fil-A” bill as supporters felt it would have helped avoid the recent boycott and eventual elimination of the fast-food chain from San Antonio’s airport. The fast-food restaurant has years of history of making donations to anti-LGBTQ organizations that advocate against LGBTQ rights.
The Dallas Voice had labeled the legislation one of the “most extreme anti-LGBT bills this session.”
Well, now the bill is back thanks to some last minute maneuvers in the state Senate, according toThe Dallas News.
Senate Bill 1978, the companion bill to HB 3172, was filed by state Sen. Bryan Hughes (R-Mineola).
Addressing the Senate Affairs Committee, Hughes told a practically empty room on Monday that, “The bill as filed ensures religious beliefs are protected from discrimination.”
Hughes emphasized that the bill was about “those uniquely American rights,” freedom of speech and freedom of religion.
The room was nearly empty because the GOP-led Senate waived rules just minutes before so that the bill could be heard in committee without giving public notice.
Last week, when HB 3172 came up for debate, dozens showed up to denounce the legislation.
But with no one to debate the bill, the committee advanced the legislation to the full Senate. SB 1978 is on today’s intent calendar.
The Dallas News says Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who presides over the Senate, issued a statement via a spokesperson defending the last minute waiving of the Senate rules.
Sherry Sylvester, Patrick’s spokesperson, said it’s not uncommon to suspend the rules to speed up bills this late in the session.
Sylvester also went to lengths to say the language in SB 1978 is the same as matches the HB 3172, and that bill received “several hours” of debate last week.
“This is not a new bill,” she said, adding, “It’s passage will strengthen our protections for religious liberty — a priority for the Lt. Governor.”
Kathy Miller, the president of Texas Freedom Network, issued a statement calling the tactic a ‘ghost hearing.’
“It’s appalling to hold a ghost hearing and then take a snap vote that leaves virtually no chance for anyone to tell senators how such a sweeping discrimination bill would affect individuals and families across the state,” said Miller.
“The lieutenant governor is so desperate to pass a bill that shields discrimination against LGBT Texans that he no longer even pretends to care what anybody else thinks about it,” she added. “But ramming this bill through doesn’t change the fact that the majority of Texans oppose laws that allow the use of religion to hurt people simply because of who they are or whom they love.”
A poll by Public Religion Research Institute in March 2019 found that 54% of Texas oppose allowing businesses to refuse products or services to LGBTQ people due to religious beliefs. Thirty-nine percent say they favor the idea.
Thanks to Texas state Rep. Julie Johnson, a bill that could have legalized LGBTQ discrimination in the Lone Star state has been effectively killed just hours before a crucial deadline.
House Bill 3172, authored and sponsored by GOP state Rep. Matt Krause, a Fort Worth area lawmaker, would have banned the government from taking “adverse action” against anyone for their “membership in, affiliation with, or contribution, donation or other support” to a religious organization.
It became known as the “Save Chick-fil-A” bill as supporters felt it would have helped avoid the recent boycott and eventual elimination of the fast-food chain from San Antonio’s airport. Chick-fil-A has a years-long history of making donations to anti-LGBTQ organizations that advocate against LGBTQ rights.
The Dallas Voice had labeled the legislation one of the “most extreme anti-LGBT bills this session.”
Johnson, a freshman lawmaker and member of the newly-formed LGBTQ Caucus, told Dallas Newsshe and her colleagues realized the bill was coming up on a midnight deadline Thursday. The caucus members strategized on the best ways to kill the homophobic legislation.
First, they offered a point of order saying amendments to the bill had improperly expanded the legislation’s scope. That attempt proved unsuccessful.
Then, Johnson offered another point of order arguing the analysis of the bill’s impact was inaccurate. The House parliamentarians accepted that argument as valid.
Johnson said afterwards that it was “an honor to be fighting this fight” and to be able to shut down “a very hurtful piece of legislation.”
Krause continued to defend his bill saying the bill wasn’t homophobic, merely a protection for Texans who exercise their “sincerely held religious belief or moral conviction, including beliefs or convictions regarding marriage.”
Dallas News reports that when the bill was pronounced dead, lawmakers stood and cheered while somewhere on the House floor someone played a recording of “Taps.”
While the deadline to approve House bills has come and gone, there is still a possibility Krause’s objectives could be met. House lawmakers still have Senate bills to debate, and in that process, could attempt to amend one of those bills with similar language to House Bill 3172.
The Dallas Morning News reports that Edward Dominic Thomas, accused of brutally assaulting a transgender woman, was offered $200 to beat her.
The altercation took place between 5 and 6 p.m. on Friday at the Royal Crest Apartments in Dallas, Texas.
The victim, 23-year-old Muhlaysia Booker, told police she accidentally backed into another car in the parking lot of the apartment complex.
The driver of the vehicle, who has been named as a suspect but not yet arrested, admitted to running Booker “off the road to keep her from fleeing.”
The driver reportedly aimed a gun at Booker while demanding $200 for the vehicle damage.
As a crowd gathered, someone reportedly offered Thomas $200 to beat Booker, according to the police affidavit.
Edward Dominic Thomas (mugshot)
Video of Thomas viciously beating Booker went viral after being posted to Facebook.
In the video, Thomas punches the transgender woman over and over. At one point, two other men joined in kicking Booker.
Click below to watch the video. Warning – graphic violence:
The attack ended when several women picked Booker up, and transported her to UT Southwestern Medical Center where she was treated for a concussion, a fractured wrist and bruising.
Booker told the police she heard homophobic slurs during the attack.
According to the Dallas Morning News, Thomas has a record of previous convictions for family violence assault, burglary and unlawful carrying of a weapon.
Thomas was interviewed on Sunday by police, at which time he admitted to the assault but denied “saying anything derogatory.” He was charged with aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury. His bail was set at $75,000.
A spokesman for Dallas Police, Lt. Vincent Weddington, told the press authorities are looking into whether hate crime charges may apply to the incident.
Weddington also announced the police anticipate more arrests in the case.
“This case is certainly disturbing,” Weddington said. “The video, I’m sure, shocks the conscience of anyone who looks at this video. … This is being taken very seriously in our department.”
Mayor Mike Rawlings issued a statement about the assault via Twitter which read, “I am extremely angry about what appears to be mob violence against this woman. I am in contact with the chief and she assured me that the Dallas Police Department is fully investigating, including the possibility that this was a hate crime.”
Statement: Chief Hall alerted me this morning to the assault at the Royal Crest Apartments and I have seen a video of what happened. I am extremely angry about what appears to be mob violence against this woman. I am in contact with the chief and she… https://t.co/zlr5TN68Ichttps://t.co/FvO9ALT13j
By a vote of 19-12, the Texas state Senate has approved legislation that would allow licensed professionals to refuse to serve anyone – including LGBTQ people – based on “sincerely held religious beliefs.”
The vote went down Democrat, Sen. Eddie Lucio, voted for the bill, and one Republican, Sen. Kel Seliger, voted against.
According to The Texas Tribune, the bill has become a top legislative priority for Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R).
The bill’s sponsor, State Sen. Charles Perry (R), says Senate Bill 17 would allow professionals who are licensed by the state – like lawyers, social workers, barbers, pharmacists, physicians or plumbers – to cite their beliefs as a valid defense should they be brought up on charges by their respective credentialing boards due to professional behavior or speech.
The legislation does include a requirement that medical professionals would have to treat patients who are at risk of death or serious injury. And licensed law enforcement officers would not be covered by the law.
Opponents of the bill say “sincerely held religious beliefs” is a vague concept that could ultimately excuse any unprofessional behavior.
Equality Texas, an LGBTQ advocacy group, called SB 17 this legislative session’s “number one threat to the LGBTQ community.”
Samantha Smoot, Equality Texas’ executive director, said in a statement, “Dan Patrick has doubled down on his attack on the LGBTQ community, moving out of bathrooms and into every single licensed profession in Texas.”
“SB 17 would create a religious litmus test, and open the doors to discrimination and to real harm to LGBTQ Texans. Dan Patrick has launched a whole new war against LGBTQ people,” she added.
Perry pushed back against the ‘discrimination’ label during the debate saying, “It’s not licensing discrimination at any level.”
Sen. Jose Menendez, a San Antonio Democrat, attempted to put that to a test with an amendment to the bill that would specifically prohibit professionals from refusing service based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
Perry allowed the amendment to go to a vote which failed 12–19, which pretty much sums up the motivations behind the bill.
So much for “not licensing discrimination at any level.”
Sen. Borris Miles, a Democrat from Houston, announced in no uncertain terms, “You know that saying, ‘You can put lipstick on a pig? Sen. Perry, this is a discrimination bill.”
Major businesses like Google, Facebook and Amazon have all announced their opposition to the bill.
The Human Rights Campaign issued a statement today after the vote.
“Today’s vote on SB 17 marks a dark moment for Texas: the passage of one of the most broadly discriminatory bills under consideration across the country,” said Rebecca Marques, HRC Texas state director. “This bill would allow state-sanctioned discrimination against many Texans, but would particularly impact the LGBTQ community.
“Before the session began, Texas’ elected officials promised to focus on key issues important to all Texans and not to revisit the fights of the previous session,” she continued. “Instead, it’s legislative deja vu, as Dan Patrick is pushing a discriminatory anti-LGBTQ agenda yet again. We implore the House of Representatives to not take up this harmful bill.”
The legislation will head to the state House after one more vote in the Senate which is primarily a procedural step.
The HRC notes that there are “at least” 19 bills in this legislative session that threaten LGBTQ Texans.
• A majority of Americans say their are more than comfortable with a gay or lesbian running for president
• The U.S. House approved a non-binding resolution Thursday morning rebuking Donald Trump’s plan to ban transgender military service members
• Wisconsin couple told to remove their Pride flag or be evicted
• New data shows there are more bisexual youth and they need our attention
• GOP lawmakers in Texas approved a bill on Monday that would allow state-licensed professionals to discriminate against LGBTQ people, or anyone they want to refuse services, based on their religious beliefs
• Netflix drops the official trailer for ‘Special,’ an offbeat comedy series about a gay man with mild cerebral palsy
All that and more in this episode of The Randy Report
Republican lawmakers in Texas approved a bill on Monday that would allow state-licensed professionals to discriminate against LGBTQ people, or anyone they want to refuse services, based on their religious beliefs.
The Austin Statesman reports that Senate Bill 17 would give professionals who are licensed by the state – like lawyers, physicians, barbers and pharmacists – the ability to turn away anyone they don’t want to serve or do business with.
The legislation includes a requirement that medical professionals treat patients who are at risk of death or serious injury. And licensed law enforcement officers would not be covered by the law.
The bill’s author, state Sen. Charles Perry (R-Lubbock), says the legislation is necessary to make sure that state licensing bodies don’t punish or retaliate against religious professionals who may take actions predicated by “sincerely held religious beliefs.”
“Living our faith does not stop when we start to work,” Perry told the Senate State Affairs Committee on Monday.
“When we see what we may perceive as immoralities, those people who hold those beliefs should be able to defend their faith without fear of losing their livelihood and their license,” added Perry.
But opponents of the bill say “sincerely held religious beliefs” are a vague concept that could ultimately excuse any unprofessional behavior.
Among those testifying at the committee hearing were a dozen members of the clergy, including Rabbi Nancy Kasten, who told lawmakers living according to religious beliefs “should never be confused with permission to use faith as a weapon against those who do not share those beliefs.”
Rev. William Knight, from the Metropolitan Community Church of San Antonio, agreed saying, “Love does not withhold care for those in need because of a difference in belief.”
The Statesman reports a “vast majority” of the nearly-60 people who showed up at the hearing opposed the bill.
But in the end, the measure was approved to the full Senate by a vote of 7 – 1. All six Republicans on the committee plus Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr. (D-Brownsville) supported the legislation. Only Sen. Judith Zaffirini (D-Laredo) voted against the bill.
But wait – there’s more!
SB 17 is just the first of many GOP-sponsored bills in the pipeline that would create new faith-based protections. Here’s just a few:
• SB 1107 would give medical professionals the ability to refuse performing nonemergency treatment that offends their “sincerely held religious beliefs.”
• HB 1035 would allow any marriage-related business to legally turn away same-sex couples, give county clerks the ability to opt-out of issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, revoke any ordinances that require providing trans-friendly bathrooms, and protect religious groups who refuse to hire anyone whose beliefs don’t align with their own.
• Similarly, HB 4497 would bar local municipalities and state agencies from punishing any business or professional who decline to provide “marriage-related goods and services.”
• SB 1978 would prohibit state agencies and local governments for taking “any adverse action” against those who may discriminate thanks to their “sincerely held religious beliefs.”
• HB 4357 would protect any faith-based counselors who practice so-called ‘conversion therapy,’ which purports to ‘heal’ individuals of homosexuality. The dangerous and harmful practice has been denounced by practically all major medical organizations including the American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Four men have been arrested in connection with the brutal homophobic attack in downtown Austin last month that sent the two victims to the hospital.
According to NBC affiliate KXAN, the four suspects are:
• Frank Macias • Miguel Macias • Kolby Monnell • Quinn O’Connor
All four face two counts of second-degree felony assault.
According to KXAN, a second-degree aggravated assault charge, if convicted, could result in a prison sentence of two to 20 years. If a hate crime finding was successfully proven on top of that, the sentencing range would increase to five to 99 years in prison.
Officials say social media played a part in identifying some of the suspects by matching physical descriptions as well as tattoos, as well as surveillance footage from nearby buildings.
Frank Macias, Quinn O’Connor, Miguel Macias, Kolby Monnell (l-r)
Additionally, a few days after the attack was reported, the police received a crime stoppers tip naming Frank Macias and another individual.
The victims, Spencer Deehring and Tristan Perry, told police they were walking down the street holding hands when a man called them a homophobic slur. When they asked what he had said, the man began calling them ‘faggots’ and called previously-unseen men who joined in the attack.
The four reportedly followed the couple taunting them with homophobic slurs.
When Perry attempted to verbally defend himself, he says he was punched by a muscular man with long, blond hair. Falling to the ground, the four joined in punching and kicking him.
When Deehring tried to defend Perry, they turned on him as well.
The attack ended when a passerby happened to see the assault.
Both men were transported to a hospital to be treated for serious injuries.
Deehring positively identified Macias in a police lineup. And according to reports, Macias then implicated his brother and the two other men.
Jeffrey Cannon & Aaron Lucero (image via Facebook)
A Dallas area wedding venue has been dropped from a major wedding planning site for turning away a gay couple’s business.
Jeffrey Cannon and Aaron Lucero had been dating for three years when they became engaged last summer.
The couple decided they wouldn’t make a rush to the alter as Lucero is a teacher. “We knew we wanted to wait over a year just because of all the stresses of starting the new school year,” Lucero told OUT.
They had opened a couples profile on the popular wedding planning site, The Knot, which helps connect wedding vendors with possible clients.
So, after spending some weeks doing online research for options for their big day, the couple set out last Saturday to check out possible venues.
But at the end of a day of viewing venues, the couple received an email from The Venue at Waterstone, just outside of Dallas. The couple had visited The Venue that day and it was their leading choice for their wedding.
The owner of the wedding company, Lyle Wise, shared with the couple that the business was founded 27 years ago after he had a vision ‘from God.’
Writing that “The design for marriage that we hold to is based upon the design [God] set forth which is a representation of the bride of Christ joined to the groom,” Wise informed Lucero and Cannon that The Venue does not host same-sex weddings.
“Though we do not host LGBTQ weddings or receptions,” added Wise, “we are more than happy to converse and further explain our beliefs and the love God has shown us as well as how He is conforming our lives to himself.”
The couple posted the email to their Twitter account.
Note: nowhere on the website for The Venue does the company state it is a religious-based organization.
Lucero told OUT the email felt like “a punch to the gut.”
Cannon chose to respond to the email sharing with Wise that they, too, grew up with a religious background.
“Our prayer is that God will one day open your hearts as well so that you will be able to welcome all of His children into your beautiful venue,” wrote Cannon.
“Until that day comes however, we would petition you to please make your faith known to the public on your website and with Knot.com so that other same sex couples do not have to go through the same rejection that we have gone through with you,” he added.
After the denial, the couple decided to reach out to other venues and disclose they were gay in an effort to avoid any further awkward situations.
It turns out two of their appointments set for Sunday cancelled on the couple upon receiving the news saying they were not ‘well-equipped’ to host same-sex weddings.
Now, The Knot has a strict policy about discrimination which includes LGBT people.
In a June 2018 Instagram post, The Knot’s CEO Mike Steib, wrote, “When we learn that a vendor has violated these terms of service, we will remove the vendor’s storefront and refund his or her money.”
“We love our couples, and all of our couples deserve a marketplace free of unfair prejudice,” he added.
The parent company for The Knot, XO Group, issued a statement to OUT, which read, “Our company supports everyone’s right to marry the person they love and prohibits any vendor on our site from discriminating against a couple based on their race, religion, sexual orientation, etc.”
OUT has since confirmed that The Venue at Waterstone has been banned from The Knot.
Lucero admits the action by The Knot was appreciated, but he says the website should be more transparent about vendors’ positions on same-sex weddings.
“They have the power to make a difference, not just by kicking companies off their market place, but by using their influence and power to really make a difference,” he told Out.
Apparently, companies can get a badge for their profile on The Knot that shows they welcome same-sex couples, but the website doesn’t offer a way to filter or search for those LGBT-inclusive businesses.
Brittny Drye, editor-in-chief of Love Inc. Magazine, says even though the U.S. is years past the legalization of marriage equality nationwide, there are still many wedding vendors who are not open to working with same-sex couples on their big day.
“While most are, I still receive responses from many who are not, even in progressive cities like New York and San Francisco,” says Drye. “Enough for me to know that we still have a long way to go.”
A gay couple was attacked in an apparent hate crime early Saturday morning in Austin, Texas.
Tristan Perry and Spencer Deehring were walking to their car around 2:45am after celebrating a friend’s birthday at Rain nightclub in downtown Austin.
The couple passed a man on the street who called them a homophobic slur. They told local news station KXAN they believe it was because they had been holding hands.
Deehring says he responded to the slur by saying something along the lines of “I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear you.”
At that point, Deehring says the man called out to his group of friends who were previously unseen. The mob began to follow the couple as they headed to their car.
The group began “yelling every expletive you can think of,” says Deehring, who told them, “I don’t have anything more to say to you guys, we’re just going home, leave us alone.”
And that’s when Perry was punched in the face suffering a broken nose and falling to the ground. While down, another in the group kicked Perry in the back of his head.
Deehring attempted to defend his boyfriend by tackling the men, but was knocked unconscious after being punched by members of the mob.
A bystander walking by may have saved their lives as the attackers fled upon being seen. The bystander called 911 and waited with the men until police and an ambulance arrived. Both men were hospitalized.
Perry was treated for a cut on the back of his head, a broken nose, chipped teeth, and multiple bruises. He continues to experience memory lapses.
Deehring suffered several lacerations, bruises to the back of his neck and head, and swelling to his jaw and mouth.
The president of the Austin chapter of PFLAG, Anna Nguyen, told KXAN that while she has seen violence targeting LGBTQ people in Austin in the past, “It feels as if lately the frequency has ratched up quite a bit.”
“I think Austin as a community needs to step up its game and prove it’s one of the most LGBTQIA-friendly cities in the country by deed, and not just by words,” she added.
Statistics released last November by the FBI show an increase of LGBT-related hate crimes in Texas when comparing data from 2016 to 2017.
The couple has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help defray the medical costs.
On the GoFundMe page, after explaining the attack that landed them in the hospital, they write:
Today I ask for your help with the burden we have been given of medical expenses related to this experience. Both of us were transported in an ambulance and given emergency trauma care at a local hospital. Due to this we expect our bills to exceed the thousands of dollars due to receiving comprehensive radiological care. And we ask for your love and support during our difficult time. Any help you can give is immensely appreciated. Always spread love and positivity. End hate.
They also shared their story on Facebook wanting people to realize attacks like this can happen to anyone.
Additionally, as a result of sharing the news of the attack, Deehring came out to his family and loved ones.
Grateful for the support they’ve received since the attack, the couple say they have a message for others.
“Spread love, end all this hatred, end all this closed-mindedness always watch your surroundings, always be aware of your surroundings, don’t walk alone,” says Perry.
And Deehring adds, “Be aware of your surroundings, but don’t change who you are as a person, don’t ever change who you are as a person and don’t be afraid to go out there and explore the world, just as you are.”
