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To pitch another legislative shutout in 2017, LGBT advocates must continue to cultivate support in the business community. Several GOP candidates with anti-LGBT platforms are challenging moderate Republican legislators in the March primary, threatening to tip the balance in favor of anti-equality legislation.īut one of the keys to defeating discriminatory bills in 2015 was opposition from a group of newfound LGBT allies : conservative business leaders. In the Texas House, two conservative representatives, Debbie Riddle and Cecil Bell, continue to pursue and promote anti-trans and anti-marriage equality policies.Īnd they may have more company next session. In his interim charges, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick called for senators to make recommendations to ensure government doesn’t force individuals or businesses to violate their sincerely held religious beliefs - similar to language used in several anti-LGBT “religious freedom” bills this year. Get Ready for 2017 Representative Cecil Bell Jr., R-Magnolia, authored four anti-LGBT bills in 2015, the most of any legislator, and called for states to defy the Supreme Court ruling on marriage equality.įrustrated by the defeat of more than 20 anti-LGBT bills in 2015, socially conservative lawmakers are likely to launch a fresh assault on equality in the 85th Legislature.
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However, it may be worth considering a nondiscrimination law that covers employment, housing and city contracting, but not public accommodations.
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Turner, who’s black and who performed well in mostly-black districts where HERO performed poorly, may be well positioned to rally support for a new HERO.īut a new equality ordinance cannot leave out transgender protections, which opponents used to defeat the original ordinance. HERO’s lopsided margin of defeat will make its revival politically challenging, but LGBT groups that backed Turner and successful City Council candidates shouldn’t settle for anything less. State Representative Sylvester Turner’s narrow December 12 victory over Bill King in the runoff for Houston mayor was a critical first step toward resurrecting LGBT nondiscrimination protections in Texas’ largest city. Revive HERO Houston Mayor Annise Parker had hoped to bring back an amended HERO after its failure at the polls, but told the Observer in November that she’s now out of time before her term is up. With that in mind, here are five resolutions to help the LGBT community stave off victory blindness in 2016. Did LGBT advocates fail to heed Signorile’s warning? If so, HERO’s defeat may have been just the wakeup call they needed. Then, in November, they suffered a devastating setback in Houston, where voters overwhelmingly repealed the city’s Equal Rights Ordinance. And the following month, they celebrated the long-awaited arrival of marriage equality. Weeks after Signorile’s visit, LGBT advocates put the finishing touches on a virtual shutout against discriminatory bills in the 84th Texas Legislature. It’s a condition in which oppressed groups become complacent after major victories, making them vulnerable to backlash that threatens to undo their progress. Back in May, veteran gay activist Michelangelo Signorile visited Texas to warn the LGBT community against what he calls “victory blindness.”