HERO Updates, Notes and News-May 20

Due to repeated requests from my readers locally and around the country hungry for information about our historic human rights fight, I'm going to do a daily series of posts from now until the Houston Equal Rights Amendment passes and the Forces of Intolerance leave it alone with news and information about what's happening with it.

Today's HERO update starts with the advocacy training event for people scheduled to speak at the May 28 combined city council meeting held at Legacy Health Services building last night.

The two hour training was attended by a standing room crowd of over 80 people and facilitated by Ryan Leach and Januari Leo.  Attendees were given presentations concerning the current political situation surrounding the HERO, what to expect when attending the May 28 meeting and tips and tricks for surviving what is going to be a long marathon session.

I was happy to be able to give an example of how to do one minute of testimony for this meeting.  My loquacious behind actually concluded the timed example I gave with nine seconds to spare.  

Then again I've had plenty of practice lately.

I was also tempted to go over the one minute to see if Ryan would do his dead on impression of Houston City Council Secretary Anna Russell and her famous line 'I'm sorry, your time has expired."


If there is a desire from the community to have another one of these trainings by the folks who missed yesterday's event, there is a possibility another one will happen before the 28th .  Watch this TransGriot space for info as to date and time.

In yesterday's update I posted some of the speakers stats, but neglected to mention the stats concerning the ministers.   Ministers speaking in favor of the HERO have been running 2-1 over the anti-HERO ones, which is why you saw the anti-HERO councilmembers moving the hate ministers up the speakers lists to give the impression to the news cameras there's widespread opposition to the HERO's passage.

There isn't.  The opposition is being bussed in from the exurbs.   Even with all the loud and wrong African-American ministers speaking, public opinion is still running 85% in the Houston African-American community in favor of HERO passage, and many of our elected African-American officials support it.

My state Senator Rodney Ellis is one of them.    From the May 13 HERO press conference at City Hall.

   

In the previous video and in my testimony last Tuesday,  Senator Ellis and I both referenced the 1984 attempt to pass a sexual orientation only non discrimination law that was rolled back in a referendum.

Here's a DailyKos post discussing that series of H-town events 30 years ago, the 'Straight Slate', and Louie Welch's Shoot The Queers remark that cost him (thank God) the 1985 mayoral election against incumbent mayor Kathy Whitmire.

This Saturday a trans town hall concerning the HERO will be held at Grace Lutheran Church from 3-5 PM.  I'll pass out more details as the date gets closer for it and the final panelist list is firmed up..

As you probably suspected I'm one of the people who have been asked to participate.