grace

… filling in the negative space with positively everything

  • Art Not Ads!

  • Flickr

    OrtizArtInHall2OrtizArtLobbyLoungeCrowdScene2Hotel Sorella - grand stairway version 2Hotel Sorella - Bistro AlexCollageInLoungeCityCentre streetscape pedestrian at Hotel SorellaCityCentre Sculptures by DesignCityCentre Houston Motor ClubBehindTheBar

  • tweets...

    Posting tweet...

    • Which Houston Mayoral Candidate REALLY Supports Equality?

    Posted on | October 30, 2009 | 1 Comment

    This issue is really important to me, because I have family and friends in the LGBT community who are still treated as second-class citizens when it comes to equal civil rights.

    There is a New York Times article going around on Twitter that Annise Parker may make history as “the first openly gay woman to be elected mayor of a major American metropolis.” In it, however, Parker says “I always told voters the truth…” then goes on to state she has “no current plan to offer [same-sex benefits] for a referendum.”

    I’m shocked that Annise Parker, the “openly gay” candidate, does NOT support same-sex benefits. The NYTimes article reports:

    In a televised debate on Oct. 25, for instance, she was asked if she would push for a referendum to give benefits to the same-sex partners of city workers. A similar measure was soundly defeated in the past.

    Ms. Parker has lived with her partner for 19 years and has two adopted children, so she has a personal stake in the question, but she replied that, while she supported the idea, she had “no current plan to offer that for a referendum.”

    “Personally it’s very important,” she said, “but, as mayor of Houston, do I want to engage resources in fighting that battle, or do I want to tackle the budget? Do I want to tackle drainage? Do I want to try to put more police officers on the street? It’s the difference between the personal and what this city needs.”

    It seems, then, what her base – Houston’s vibrant GLBT community and its supporters – needs is NOT equal rights.

    The interesting thing is that Gene Locke, who is also running for mayor of Houston (and one of my clients), DOES support equal rights. On Gene Locke’s Facebook profile, I found the following comment thread:

    Jody Miller: Where do you stand on Houston City Charter, roman numeral II, section 22 Denial of Benefits?

    Matt Burrus: Jody, I can respond to your question on behalf of Gene. Gene believes that all people should be treated fairly and equally. He wrote the City’s first non-discrimination policy to include sexual orientation when he was City Attorney in the late 1990s. He also spearheaded the efforts to bring domestic partner benefits to his law firm, as a member of its diversity committee. He most recently stated during the KHOU debate that he would support a referendum to provide same-sex benefits to City employees. He was the only candidate to say they would support the referendum. Gene believes that the City needs to recruit the best employees possible, regardless of sexual orientation, race, nationality, religion, etc., and he would look to be competitive with a majority of Fortune 500 companies, Dallas, Austin, El Paso, and other cities across the country that already offer domestic partner benefits.

    When I made the same statement on Twitter, Kris Banks, President of the Houston GLBT Political Caucus, responded:

    “She understands the political fight b/c she’s been involved in it for decades. Not going to make empty promises. Ballot initiatives are not our forte. We lost CA and Maine looks bleak. Has to be done right. She gets that. I think everyone should support same-sex benefits, but that’s different than doing what it takes to win initiative fight. She said there wasn’t a plan right now. @AnniseParker doesn’t just talk, she gets things done. Ballot initiatives are overwhelmingly tough for our community, @AnniseParker knows that b/c she’s fought that fight.”

    Yet, if Annise has really fought this fight before, shouldn’t she have a plan to continue fighting it? She may not make empty promises, but if she hasn’t promised to continue fighting for equal rights for the GLBT community, her commitment to Houston’s diverse community seems empty itself.

    In any case, if she doesn’t have a plan, Gene DOES. Maybe Annise should ask Gene to help her draft her plan? After all, Gene Locke “wrote the City’s first non-discrimination policy to include sexual orientation” when he was Houston City Attorney under former Mayor Bob Lanier.

    I support equal rights for ALL of Houston. If you do, too, please VOTE FOR GENE LOCKE FOR MAYOR ON NOVEMBER 3RD!

    *UPDATE: Jody Miller followed up his conversation with Matt Burrus with this comment:

    “After much research and countless conversations with all four major candidates campaigns running for Mayor of Houston, I have decided to back Gene Locke. He is the most genuine of all of the candidates and the only one wanting to rewrite current descrimination laws in Houston and support a referendum to change the city charter to include Domestic Partnership benefits for city workers. This is a huge step in the right direction friends. Join me in voting for Gene Locke on Nov. 3rd!”

    Category: a musing, politics
    Tags: > > > > > >

    Comments

    One Response to “Which Houston Mayoral Candidate REALLY Supports Equality?”

    1. And here comes the nastiness – Off the Kuff
      November 14th, 2009 @ 7:37 am

      [...] irony, of course, is that it’s Locke who is on record supporting a referendum to provide same-sex benefits to City employees, which is something that Parker herself says she has no current plans to do. So one wonders what [...]

    Leave a Reply