Dallas County Adds Trans Protections

On a 3-2 party line vote this morning, the Dallas County Commissioners added trans protections to the county's non discrimination policy after 30 minutes of public commentary.

Voting for the successful proposal were Democrats Judge Clay Jenkins, Commissioner Dr. Elba Garcia and Commissioner John Wiley Price.    Voting against were the two Republicans commissioners Maurine Dickey and Mike Cantrell.

Note the interesting point trans community, that part of Dickey's district covers the Oak Lawn gayborhood.   She voted FOR the sexual orientation ones but AGAINST the trans community.  

Let's just say the next time I'm visiting my friends and relatives in Dallas I won't be eating or spending my money at Dickey's Barbecue anymore..  

“The community’s participation is what made this happen — the letters, the phone calls, the people who showed up here,” said Resource Center Dallas’ Rafael McDonnell to the Dallas Voice. “The fact that this was done in five weeks is what really surprises me. Five weeks is the blink of an eye in government time.”

Now the trans employees who are part of the 7000 person workforce of Dallas County have the same employment protections as everyone else.   

And the GL community has lived up to the principles that bear the city's name.

Showdown On Elm Street

In a few hours we'll find out if the trans residents of Dallas County, Texas will have their employment rights protected in the county non discrimination policy like the GL folks were back in March.

A County Order is part the Commissioners Court business that kicks off at 9 AM CDT, and it should be a packed house to witness this event. 

If you can attend, please do so because we can presume the haters will be there in force.   Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins wants you to be at the County Administration building located at 411 Elm St. for what could be a historic day. 

We'll find out if they have and who the elusive third vote is to pass this.  .

If you want to remind those commissioners one more time to do the right thing and add gender identity to the non discrimination policy or thank Judge Jenkins and Commissioner Garcia for their hard work on this issue, as always, be nice and respectful while doing so.

County Judge Clay Jenkins – 214-653-7949
Email: Clay.Jenkins@DallasCounty.org
Dist. 1 Maurine Dickey – 214-653-7552
Email: Maurine.Dickey@DallasCounty.org
Dist. 2 Mike Cantrell – 214-653-6100
Email: MCantrell@DallasCounty.org
Dist. 3 John Wiley Price – 214-653-6671
Email: John.Price@DallasCounty.org
Dist. 4 Dr. Elba Garcia – 214-653-6670
Email: Elba.GarciaDDS@DallasCounty.org
 


Y'all need to do the right thing for Andy Moreno, Ms T-DART and other trans residents of Dallas County and pass this addition to the policy.    We are (or soon will be in Ms. Moreno's case) tax paying residents of Dallas County.

And yes, may I remind you we vote too.

Dallas County Commissioners To Hold Tuesday Vote Adding Gender Identity To Non Discrimination Policy

Been following the drama up I-45 in Dallas County that started March 22 when a non discrimination policy was passed  for the 7000 county employees that omitted the trans community.

Newly elected Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins and county commissioner Dr. Elba Garcia were fulfilling a campaign promise and believed that the sexual orientation language would cover the trans community.   To their credit, when they were told it wouldn't they began working on adding gender identity language to the just amended policy.

While Judge Jenkins awaited an opinion from the District Attorney he and Dr. Garcia fought to get that elusive third vote to pass the gender identity addition.   Dallas area TBLG advocates spoke in front of commissioners court and flooded the court with e-mails and calls in support of the policy change .  

Despite that, Commissioner John Wiley Price is undecided, and Commissioner Maurine Dickey, whose district includes the Oak Lawn gayborhood earlier this week disrespectfully came out against it.

According to the Dallas Voice, Commissioners Court has an upcoming April 26 meeting will take place at 9 AM CDT at the county administration building at 411 Elm St.   On the agenda is the Court Order that would add “transgender, gender identity and gender expression” to the Dallas County non discrimination policy.  

“One thing you could do to help me out on this, is show up en masse,” Jenkins said to the Dallas Voice. “I figure people who don’t want this to pass will probably show up, so it would be nice if we had equal representation there.” 

So Dallas area trans peeps and our supporters, Judge Jenkins needs your help.   If you can be there, show up on April 26 for that meeting.   If you can't, then call or e-mail the Dallas County commissioners court and urge them to vote for the policy  .

And yes, you know Moni is going to help you make it easy for you to be agents for your own liberations:

And as always, be nice and respectful while doing so.

County Judge Clay Jenkins – 214-653-7949
Email: Clay.Jenkins@DallasCounty.org
Dist. 1 Maurine Dickey – 214-653-7552
Email: Maurine.Dickey@DallasCounty.org
Dist. 2 Mike Cantrell – 214-653-6100
Email: MCantrell@DallasCounty.org
Dist. 3 John Wiley Price – 214-653-6671
Email: John.Price@DallasCounty.org
Dist. 4 Dr. Elba Garcia – 214-653-6670
Email: Elba.GarciaDDS@DallasCounty.org

  

Dallas County Commissioner Maurine Dickey Compares Transsexuality With Being Overweight

The Dallas County Commissioners Court continues to debate adding gender identity/expression  language to their recently passed sexual orientation only policy for Dallas County employees and is developing into a textbook case as to why we transpeople despise incrementalism.

County Judge Clay Jenkins and Commissioner Dr. Elba Garcia, are both Democrats who support adding transgender protections for county employees.  Democratic Commissioner John Wiley Price is still undecided about it.    Dr. Garcia, like John Wiley Price, once served on the Dallas City Council and is a longtime TBLG community ally.


Republican Commissioner Maurine Dickey, whose district covers part of the Oak Lawn gayborhood in Dallas was thought to be the possible decisive third vote that would help the policy pass for the 7000 Dallas County workers.

Dickey blew up that fantasy when she arrogantly came out against it in a Dallas Voice Instant Tea blog interview..

While she believes the recent decision of the Dallas County Commissioners Court to add sexual orientation to the policy was long overdue, Dickey said she thinks adding gender identity/expression to the policy could lead to adding “overweight people” or “people with diabetes.”

WTF? 

“I won’t be voting for a special protected class,” Dickey said. “You’ve got to stop somewhere. … It becomes a legal nightmare.”

Spoken like a true Republican.   

FYI  Commissioner Dickey, gender identity/expression is not a 'special protected class' and you need to stop peddling those GOP weasel words.   Everyone has a gender identity that they express, including you.

And as Carla stated on my FB page when we were discussing this issue, "Ms Dickey not only shows she has no clue when it comes to trans issues, she also shows her total insensitivity to those of us who struggle with issues around food and weight. What a poor representative of the people she is.

Judge Jenkins and Commissioner Garcia are still working hard to get that third vote, and Judge Jenkins will not put the issue on the Commissioners Court calendar until they have secured the third vote.

“I really feel confident,” Garcia said. “You have to hope.”

In the meantime TBLG advocates have addressed the court about the need to do the right thing and protect Dallas County's trans workers for the fourth consecutive week.

Time for you Dallas area transfolks to become agents of your own liberation.   If you want to speak to the court, Rafael McDonnell of Resource Center Dallas is coordinating the speaker's list and would love to hear from you.

If you're a do it yourself kind of person, here's the contact info for all five Dallas County commissioners.
Remember, be nice and respectful while doing so.

County Judge Clay Jenkins – 214-653-7949
Email: Clay.Jenkins@DallasCounty.org
Dist. 1 Maurine Dickey – 214-653-7552
Email: Maurine.Dickey@DallasCounty.org
Dist. 2 Mike Cantrell – 214-653-6100
Email: MCantrell@DallasCounty.org
Dist. 3 John Wiley Price – 214-653-6671
Email: John.Price@DallasCounty.org
Dist. 4 Dr. Elba Garcia – 214-653-6670
Email: Elba.GarciaDDS@DallasCounty.org

Dallas County Commissioner Undecided About Adding Trans Workers To Non Discrimination Policy

While the rest of y'all were focused on Maryland, up Interstate 45 from me the Democratic majority on the Dallas County Commissioners Court was busy adding sexual orientation to their non discrimination policy that covers 7000 county workers.

There are two openly gay Dallas County elected officials, District Clerk Gary Fitzsimmons and Sheriff Lupe Valdez who have already established trans employment protections in their respective departments.   

In order to fulfill a campaign promise, the move to add sexual orientation to the non discrimination policy was spearheaded by newly elected Democratic County Judge Clay Jenkins and Commissioner Dr. Elba Garcia, who mistakenly believed that the sexual orientation language would cover trans workers in Dallas County.  

When informed it wouldn't, Judge Jenkins sought an opinion from the Dallas County District Attorney about the impact of adding gender identity language to the non discrimination policy.

So far so good.

But for the policy to pass, they need one vote on the five member commissioners court for the policy to pass, and that swing vote is longtime Dallas area civil rights advocate and current County Commissioner John Wiley Price.   After last night's scheduled commissioner's court meeting, according to the Dallas Voice Price is still unsure about whether he will vote to add the gender identity language to protect Dallas County trans workers 

But Price admitted that the testimony of Maeve O"Connor, a transwoman who spoke during the public comments section of last night's meeting had done more to sway him in that direction than anything said so far.



Note to you transpeeps... Don't be 'scurred' to speak in front of your local governmental bodies, it can make a difference between a trans protective policy passing or failing.  Ask EQ Maryland.

But back to Lone Star happenings.    Judge Jenkins is still awaiting the impact statement from the Dallas County district attorney,  and due to a commissioners court rule, speakers can only appear once a month.  

So if you're a Dallas area transperson interested in speaking before Commissioner's Court, contact Rafael McDonnell of Resource Center Dallas.    He'd love to hear from you and get you scheduled for a meeting that fits your schedule. 

And here's another opportunity to be an agent of your own liberation.   If you wish to encourage the Dallas County Commissioners to add gender identity to their non discrimination policy, here's the contact info

Be nice when doing so.  As my late grandmother used to say, you can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar.   Thank Judge Jenkins and Commisioner Garcia for pushing this issue.


County Judge Clay Jenkins – 214-653-7949
Email: Clay.Jenkins@DallasCounty.org

District 1 Maurine Dickey – 214-653-7552
Email: Maurine.Dickey@DallasCounty.org

District 2 Mike Cantrell – 214-653-6100
Email: MCantrell@DallasCounty.org

District 3 John Wiley Price – 214-653-6671
Email: John.Price@DallasCounty.org

District 4 Dr. Elba Garcia – 214-653-6670
Email: Elba.GarciaDDS@DallasCounty.org