Monica Roberts wants to set the record straight about Mayor Parker and the latest version of the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance that will (eventually, we swear) be voted on by Council.
Mayor Annise Parker
The local trans community asked for Section 17-51 (b) to be pulled from the proposed ordinance. I’ve written and testified it needed to go. Lou, Dee Dee, and other Houston trans leaders have also been unanimous in our dislike of it.
What we’re pissed off about inside Beltway 8 is you peeps blasting Mayor Parker based on Frontiers LA writing a story and only posting a snippet of Section 17-51 (b) prior to their conclusion jump. Neither did any of you outside of Houston critics know at the time because you weren’t privy to it, we were working with council to get amendments done to clean up that problematic language in a way that would be satisfying to our community.
FYI, here’s the full text of Section 17-51 (b)
(b) It shall be unlawful for any place of public accommodation or any employee or agent thereof to deny any person entry to any restroom, shower room, or similar facility if that facility is consistent with and appropriate to that person’s expression of gender identity. It shall be a defense to prosecution for discrimination on the basis of gender identity under this article, however, if the defendant had a good faith belief that the gender or gender identity of the person discriminated against was not consistent with the gender designation of the facility. For purposes of this section, a defendant has a good faith belief if the manner in which the person represented or expressed gender to others (e.g. behavior, clothing, hairstyles, activities, voice or mannerisms) is not consistent with the gender designation of the facility the person attempted to access. Nothing in this section shall require construction of a new bathroom, shower room, or similar facility.
The problematic section I underlined and put in bold print is why the Houston transgender community and our allies after consulting with us asked to have it pulled. Leaving that as is would have allowed transphobes to engage in gender policing and we would have no recourse to it.
So did you stop to think before you knee-jerk conclusion jumped to ask me or any other transperson in Houston working to pass the HERO what was going on? Did you peeps outside Loop 610 honestly think after I wrote this post that I or any other Houston trans leaders would support ANY HERO that didn’t FIX the problems that ail the Houston trans community?
This is the post Roberts is referring to, and despite her post from Sunday and a couple of comments on the offending piece by the likes of Daniel Williams, there’s been no correction or followup from Frontiers LA that I can see. I consider this yet another example of a non-Texas-based writer getting the basic facts about a story here – usually a political story – all wrong, presumably from some combination of laziness, misunderstanding, and the long-outdated perception of the state as a monochromatic sea of red outside of Austin. Whatever the cause, it’s annoying as hell, and I share Roberts’ frustration and desire to get the facts out. If you see any misinformation out there about the status of the HERO, keep that link handy to point people back in the right direction.
And on an unfortunate related note, Texas Leftist has an update on how one Council member will apparently be voting.
When one visits the website for Grace Community Church, a mega-church in Southeast Houston, it’s easy to form an initial impression that it is a community which is welcoming and loving to all. They proudly proclaim the slogan “Everybody needs a little grace!”
But those impressions couldn’t be further from the truth, as there is lots of ugliness going on within the walls of this congregation. Local political activist Kris Banks decided to attend a rally at Grace for those against the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance, and what he found there was pretty awful. Banks says many in the crowd openly laughed when transgender people were mentioned, and some even called the community an “abomination”.
Even after his 2 hour town hall with members of the LGBT community and supposed friendship with Jenifer Rene Pool, Council Member Michael Kubosh was at this rally clapping right along to the hate speech against the transgender community. Kubosh even says to the crowd that “God put him on Council to fight this ordinance.”
Well clearly after statements like the one above, there’s no further mystery about how Kubosh plans to vote. On a personal note, I never voted for Kubosh or supported his campaign, but was willing to attend the town hall and hope that he would be open-minded on these issues. I was dead wrong.
(Emphasis in the original.) Me too, I’m afraid. CM Kubosh’s vote isn’t needed to pass the NDO, but it’s unfortunate to see him line up against it, and against many residents of the city he was elected to represent. You can be sure people will remember this in 2015.
Why do you think Mike Kubosh had an outpouring of GLBT support in the first place? Say what you will about him but he has never strayed too far away from his stated agenda and who he gets support from. So as far as his voting against “many residents” best interests, I’d be willing to bet he was voting FOR what “many more residents” want him to. If he sticks to his guns on this and other issues, he will become a viable candidate for higher office very quickly regardless of the voting outcome.
Personally, I have no problem with the portions of the ordinance that I have looked at. I’m all for equality and forcing others to open their eyes to the smaller interests of special interest groups. I don’t think the ordinance will cost very much other than court fights started by those using it as a fund raiser for right wing groups and I’m sure the transgender “pronoun posse” will want the city to fight any challenges until the bitter end. If a guy wants to dress up like a woman to “self identify” as a woman, it’s none of my concern though I’ll still call a spade a spade which apparently pisses the hell out of some of them.