OUT SA, the website for out students and allies at Houston Community College, reviews a litany of Dave Wilson’s recent activities and discusses what can be done about them.
Dave Wilson
Mr. Wilson has created a hostile environment for LGBT students, staff, and faculty of Houston Community College by these actions. In addition, with his last action, he puts HCC at risk of violating Title IX protections. The US Dept. of Education has stated that Title IX specifically protects transgender identities, and the ability of those with these identities to use facilities at federally funded educational organizations, a category which HCC falls into. If the Trustee is successful in his petition, most transgender students will not be able to use the correct bathrooms and locker rooms for their gender identity. As such, HCC will be in violation of Title IX. This puts HCC at risk of litigation and/or the removal of federal funds.
You may be wondering what you can do to help prevent this blow to both LGBT rights and to Houston Community College. There are two options, and depending on your residence, or your status as student, staff, or faculty at HCC, you may be able to participate in one or both.
For students, staff, and faculty, you may file a complaint with the HCC Office of Institutional Equity. To do so, fill out this contact form, and a representative of that office will be able to contact you. If you are a student, your department and job title will be student, and the college will be the one which you attend most frequently (Central, Coleman, Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, or Southwest).
If you are a resident within the HCC District, you may fill out this petition. If you’re unsure of whether you reside within the District, please visit this map, if you live within one of the numbered districts, you live within the HCC district.
And remember, if you meet both qualifications, you can fill out both the complaint form AND the petition.
We are also planning on attending the September Board of Trustees meeting. If you would like to speak to the Board, or you just want to attend, please contact us, and we will let you know how you may participate.
Emphasis mine. I’ve previously suggested that Wilson’s proposal is illegal on its face, but I hadn’t considered the Title IX angle. That’s a lot of your taxpayer dollars that Dave Wilson would like to put at risk, both in terms of funds for HCC and defending against the litigation I’ve suggested would follow. Maybe this isn’t something that an elected official with fiduciary responsibilities should be doing. Maybe the fact that Wilson is (God help us) an elected official with fiduciary responsibilities is something that we ought to take into consideration when we discuss this vendetta he has.
(Food for thought: Suppose Wilson manages to get his proposal on the ballot, and it passes. When the inevitable Title IX lawsuit is then filed against HCC, what is to stop the other HCC trustees from declining to dedicate funds to pay for the defense of said lawsuit, and instead instructing their lawyers to seek an immediate settlement? That would be the fiscally responsible thing to do – never mind the morally responsible thing to do – after all.)
That petition referenced in the post, which calls on Wilson to “cease working to violate the civil rights of the students he is supposed to be representing”, or failing that for the rest of the Board “to begin removal procedures against him”, deserves some love. Put your name on it and help spread the word. The more people know about and stand against Dave Wilson, the better.
It helps if people look at the petition, makes one wonder if HCC is teaching students to react first and maybe read later. Below is part of what is on the Charter Amendment;
“EXPECT AS REQUIRED BY STATE OR FEDERAL LAW”.
I would emphasis the “Except as required by State or Federal law” but there are no tools that allow one to use bold lettering, so I shouted by using all caps.
So it is a bogus issue by the “haters”. Should one use like terms for the opposing side? I think not, so strike “haters”.
I too think it is a bogus argument.
How about this argument:
Dave Wilson lives in Texas, Houston is in Texas, if Houston passess this Charter Amendment then Houston hates Transgender People so Houston sinks the ship for Texas and therefore Texas doesn’t get anymore Federal transportation dollars.
On a side note I applaud the efforts of the students to get their opinions heard on this matter. It is what democracy is all about.
No offense, but I would bet half the students signing this petition have not bothered to register to vote and have their voice heard on HERO or whatever referendum Wilson might trigger on the November ballot. Instead of signing lots of petitions and complaint forms, they ought to show up Saturday, Aug. 15 at 10 a.m. at the Montrose Center at 401 Branard St for phone banking and block-walking in support of HERO.
Good point Mainstream. Maybe that is their next step.