The San Antonio Non-Discrimination Ordinance Is Becoming A Houston City Election Issue

When San Antonio passed their trans inclusive human rights ordinance by a lopsided 8-3 margin on September 6, I and many TBLG people here on our end of I-10 were paying attention including Mayor Annise Parker.

"It is absolutely something we should do, and the majority of council members have publicly stated they are in support of a nondiscrimination ordinance," said Parker in a Houston Chronicle interview. "But this is an issue that requires all of council to be engaged and agree it is time to move it forward. When it happens, we will do that."

Houston has a 1998 executive order issued by former Mayor Lee Brown that protects gay city employees from discrimination that Mayor Parker updated in 2010 to include trans city employees. 

Of course our resident conservabigots like Dave Wilson opposed it and want it repealed.  Wilson also ran for mayor in the 2011 cycle and got his butt kicked.   There was also a 2012 effort to place a nondiscrimination item before H-town voters which unfortunately did not reach the ballot.

As I mentioned in my post about how I and the Houston person of color trans community want full trans equality and made the case for it, we are in the middle of a mayoral and city election cycle that ends November 5.  The question about a Houston non-discrimination ordinance similar to San Antonio's has come up in not only the mayor's race but has also been asked by the Houston League of Women Voters in their City Council candidate forums.

Wanda Adams, my city council member is term limited and is running for the HISD school board.  That has sparked a 12 person race in District D for her soon to be vacated seat.

Assata Richards, who has the Caucus endorsement in the District D race, answered this question affirmatively during the recently televised LWV-Houston forum.  I did not like Dwight Boykins dodgy answer during the District D candidate forum, and I look forward to the next time I talk to Larry McKinzie so I can ask him what his stance on that issue is along with the other District D City Council candidates. 

I'm also interested in hearing what Ben Hall and the other mayoral candidates stance is concerning this issue of protecting the human rights of trans Houstonians like moi as we get closer to November 5 along with the people running for at large city council seats.

I also have other issues of importance like mass transit that I will also base my decision on when I step into the voting booth to select the people I think are best qualified to lead this city, but where they stand on my human rights as a proud trans Houstonian will be one of the criteria I use to sort out who gets my support and my precious vote.