Thinking About Two Elections

While I'm up here in Provincetown about to spend an enjoyable week here at Fantasia Fair that I am treating like a working vacation.  

I'm also thinking about two elections today

Back home early voting is starting in our mayoral election, and will continue until October 30 in advance of the big day on November 3.  I will be handling my electoral business when I return to H-town to vote YES for Prop 1 and the best candidates to lead my hometown for the next two years.

The one back home is high stakes and will remain contentious until November 3,

But just to the north of me is another high stakes election.  Canadians will be heading to the polls for their federal election today to determine who will get the lion's share of the 338 seats up for grabs in ridings across our northern neighbor and get control of the House of Commons.  Magic number to form a majority government is 170 seats

The polling over the last week seems to indicate that the Liberals and their leader Justin Trudeau are poised to make a historic comeback and either take enough seats to form a majority government or enough to form a minority one.

That was after the polls were showing a virtual tie between the NDP, Grits and Tories back in early August   That's also assuming the polling is accurate.

It is also fortuitous for me that while I am here at Fantasia Fair I will get a chance to discuss the election resullts and the current state of Canadian politics with Miqqi Gilbert.

But you can't count the Conservatives out, especially since they dominate Alberta and Saskatchewan. Nor can you count out the NDP, who are the current Official Opposition thanks to Quebec going NDP in the 2011 cycle and being the beneficiaries of the Liberal and Bloc Quebecois collapse in that cycle.
 

What is clear in 2015 is that Canadians are sick of PM Harper and his Conservative party.   Quebec is a battleground province this time, along with Ontario and the GTA.

The GTA for you Yanks not paying attention to our north of the border neighbors, is the acronym referring to the Greater Toronto Area, in which the Conservatives surprisingly picked up seats in during the 2011 election on their way to collecting enough seats for their majority government.  

The other wild card in this election cycle is this is the first Canadian federal election since 38 seats were added to Parliament.  The new seats added were in British Columbia (6), Alberta (6), Ontario (15) and Quebec (3).

As a result, 87% of the boundary lines for previously existing ridings changed.  We'll have to see what happens politically in not only the 38 new ridings, but the ridings that experienced boundary changes.

And the interesting question that will be answered later tonight is how many people in the respective Canadian major parties will join those party leaders in Parliament?    

The Fight To Keep HERO- October 18

Just in case you wondering where the Houston Black community stands on Prop 1 passage, outside of the loud and wrong cadre of sellout ministers cooning it up for the Texas GOP fueled opposition to the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance.

The NAACP Houston Chapter, the Greater Houston Black Chamber, the Houston Area Urban League and a long list of local politicians enthusiastically support HERO.  The Houston Forward Times, one of the oldest Black newspapers in town, just released an editorial that affirms their support of our much needed human rights ordinance.

And as Morenike said in her 'We Are HERO' campaign commentary:

"Houston is almost the 3rd largest city in the US. We need to step up. I want to know that my family is going to be treated fairly when we go into a business, or my kids are at school; and that if that is not the case, that there is a way to deal with it locally. I want to know that we don't have to be second class citizens; that this is not the Jim Crow South. I want to know that no matter who my children want to love, the color of their skin, whether they move differently, or speak differently because of their disability, that we can feel safe. We have experienced discrimination and others have too. It's time for us to change that."

We have Houston civil rights icon Rev William Lawson, who supports it along with Pastor Rudy Rasmus, who has been featured ina pro-HERO commercial.

And just to remind the HERO haters and the willful ignorati on this issue, it was the discrimination that Judge Alexandra Smoots Hogan faced at a Washington Ave nightclub in February 2014 that was the catalyst for getting HERO passed.




HERO is needed and necessary.  It covers 15 categories and provides a local remedy against discrimination experienced in housing, employment and public accommodations,

Our opposition only has fear, smear and lies to throw at it.

So Black Houstonians, don't let the HERO opposition hoodwink and bamboozle you into voting against your own human rights.tomorrow.

The Fight To Keep HERO- October 17

Early voting in our mayoral election starts on Monday, and with it has come increased political activity centered on HERO and mayoral and council elections.

In addition to the increased mayoral campaign ads, the pro-HERO and anti-HERO sides are deploying their TV and radio commercials.  While the pro-HERO side has dominated TV so far, the anti-HERO side has been predominately using radio to push their one trick pony message of hate.

Former Astro Lance Berkman recorded an ad for the HERO haters, and on October 7 Mayor Annise Parker called him out on Twitter about his hypocrisy for lying about the HERO when he failed to do the same vocal criticism in other cities in which he has played such as St Louis, New York and Dallas that have similar human rights laws like HERO.

On Wednesday this full page ad was printed in the Houston Chronicle by corporations that support Proposition 1 to emphasize the fact that many of our large corporations want to see Prop 1 passed. These corporations featured in the ad are on record as saying that Prop 1 is good for Houston, and good for the business community.

An October 12 Houston Chronicle editorial from Dow Chemical VP of Gulf Coast Operations Earl Shipp reflects the pro-HERO mindset of many corporations in Houston.

Houston based political cartoonist Nick Anderson has also commented on the HERO campaign, with this recent cartoon slamming the fear and smear  come out swinging oo

Media Matters has also come out swinging against the bathroom predator myth, this time asking law enforcement and governmental officials in Dallas, Austin, El Paso,  the CEO of the Dallas Rape Crisis Center, and the executive director of El Paso's Center Against Sexual and Family Violence about the opposition's loud and wrong lie, it was repeatedly debunked.

And once again, here's last year's HERO testimony from Cassandra Thomas of the Houston Area Women's Center, who not only support the ordinance, but debunked the bathroom predator lie.

 

Early voting starts Monday.   Vote YES on Prop 1!



 

The Fight To Keep HERO- October 16

Early voting in our civic elections starts Monday, but everyone in H-town is still talking about Bob McNair's $10K donation to the anti-HERO bigots that has pissed off me and other until Thursday ride or die LGBT Texans fans.

He released this written statement in the wake of the growing controversy over his contribution to the Forces of Intolerance.

"I strongly believe that everyone who lives or works in or visits Houston should be treated with the utmost dignity and respect. Because of the way the HERO ordinance is written, it has begun to separate rather than unite our community. This problem can be solved by defeating the current bill in November, thoughtfully rewriting it and then resubmitting it to the voters."

Naw Bob, the animus around HERO is all coming from your suburban Republican peeps meddling in Houston human rights business and demonizing trans people to do so since April 2014.

There is no problem with the HERO language since it went through 15 draft.  Could your 'problem with the language' be related to the fact that the Houston TBLG community are two of the 15 categories covered?

We are also well aware of the fact that when you GOP peeps deploy the  'thoughtfully rewrite HERO' comment, it's dog whistle politics for 'we are going to cut the Houston LGBT community out of it'.

Not no, but HELL no to that Bob.   And for you Texans fans who support HERO and wish to express yourselves, here's the link to their Facebook page for starters.

And NFL, where you at on #HERO?  We need to know with early voting in this election starting on Monday where the league stands on this.   Houston voters on both sides need to definitively know is the repeal of #HERO results in Houston losing the 2017 Super Bowl and chances at hosting future Super Bowls.

The Fight To Keep HERO- October 15

I've pointed out that the HERO haters are predominately conservative Republicans who live in the 'burbs and are sticking their noses in Houston human rights business.

Part of the reason they are doing so is because the Texas and Harris County GOP is 'scurred' about what term-limited Mayor Annise Parker will do politically once she turns the mayors office over to her successor in January.

Well, got more evidence of Texas GOP interference in Houston human rights business with the announcement that Texas Lt Governor Dan Patrick dropped $10,000 for the anti-HERO efforts.

There was also a surprising donation from Bob McNair, the owner of the Houston Texans.   While he has been a heavy donor to GOP causes in the past, you would think that he would have stayed out of this HERO fight seeing that his  team is slated to host the Super Bowl in 2017.

But to the consternation and disgust of many longtime Texans fans like myself, McNair has revealed himself to be an enabler of  human rights oppression.

And that's aggravating not only to me, and the Houston LGBT fans of the Texans, but all Texans fans who support Prop 1 staying in the Houston city Code of Ordinances.

While I'm pissed off at Bob McNair, the real threat is people like Ben Hall and Bill King, who are running for mayor, and Herlinda Garcia and Kendall Baker who are running for council.

ALL of them oppose the HERO.  Baker and Garcia have lent their voices to the reprehensible radio ads that are blanketing Black radio stations in town and we have been asking Houston Unites since August to hit back hard against.

That unchecked ignorance has filtered down to the community, and who is going to pay for it?   Black LGBT people, and specifically Black trans people from the violence that will be directed at us because of those straight up lies being told by Hall and his transphobic friends.

Hall has been lying through his teeth about the HERO, and produced the bathroom commercial that is desecrating our airwaves right now.

And Baker is particularly slimy because his azz was spewing anti-trans predator venom last year during the HERO passage battle as one of Dave Welch's kneegrow sellouts while his behind was getting fired from the city for being a sexual harasser.

Once again, who are the sexual predators?  They are repeatedly proving themselves to be you good predominately white and conservative 'Christian' folks.

As I have repeatedly  reminded you, the most dangerous bigots are the ones who have the power to write legislation, and it is vitally important that we not only ensure that Prop 1 passes, but we also elect people to the mayor's chair and City Council who will protect, defend and make HERO better, not kill it.

Early voting is starting Monday people/   Let's handle our electoral business.


   

Um Bob, Guess You Forgot Some Texans Fans Want HERO

With early voting in our 2015 city elections starting on Monday, we have people, organizations  and companies starting to get off the sidelines and declare one way or the other which way they lean in terms of supporting Prop 1 or HERO,

I was shocked and angered to discover as a longtime ride or die Houston Texans fan that Texans owner Bob McNair is contributing $10,000 to the anti-HERO Forces of Intolerance

McNair has donated to Republican political campaigns in the past, but you would think as the hosts for the 2017 Super Bowl scheduled to be played in NRG Stadium, he would have stayed on the sidelines in this fight.

Instead, McNair has revealed by this action that he is a human rights oppressor, and discrimination against people who don't look like him inside the Houston city limits is okay in his book

Guess you forgot as you wrote that check to enable discrimination inside our city a portion of the Texans loyal fan base is made up of TBLG Houstonians like myself and our allies.  You just spit in our faces and the faces of every Houstonian who sees the wisdom of having a local remedy for combating discrimination in our Code of Ordinances like the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance.

Some of your Texans fan base wish to keep our local non-discrimination ordinance, and it's aggravating to see that the owner of my hometown NFL franchise that I have supported since their 2002 entry into the league has joined the side of the human rights oppressors

And yeah, I'm more than a little pissed off about this boneheaded move by you to become a transphobic human rights oppressor.  I'm  even more determined than ever to ensure that the non discrimination ordinance I fought along with a team of Houstonians to get passed last year that covers 15 categories, and has been irrationally fought tooth and nail by you Republicans wins on November 3.

Because the Texans didn't join the league until a year after I moved to Louisville in 2001, I have yet to set foot inside NRG Stadium for any Texans game, be it a preseason, regular season or playoff game.

Because of your reprehensible action that I see as an attack upon my very humanity, my human rights, and the human rights of the 56% of Houstonians who have filed discrimination complaints under HERO until it was suspended by the GP controlled SCOTX, looks like that's not going to happen for me anytime soon,

Nor will I be wearing or purchasing any more Texans apparel until you come to your senses

The Fight To Keep HERO-October 14

We are creeping closer to the October 19 start of early voting in this ongoing battle to keep HERO, and Satan's Helpers. AKA the HERO opposition have been busy.  

The first anti-HERO TV commercials hit the airwaves focused on guess what?   The discredited bathroom predator lie.  Like I've said repeatedly, they are going to beat that lie into hamburger because fear and smear is all they've got.

In response, Houston Unites fired back with two new commercials featuring Noel Freeman (happy belated birthday Noel!) talking about his struggles as a veteran getting hired.  Veterans Status is one of the 15 categories HERO covers for the ignorati obsessed with potty issues.

Houston based corporations are starting to speak up and come out in favor of YES votes for the ordinance, pointing out it is good for business.

Meanwhile another poll in the 2015 mayoral race was released with Sylvester Turner showing as the leader in it. whit Adrian Garcia and Bill King tied for second spot in the poll

The Fight To Keep HERO - October 8

There was interesting HERO news that happened yesterday.  

First the bad news.  The HERO haters got together at Second Baptist with 100 predominately white people on stage to have a press conference trying to convince Houstonians to vote against Prop 1.

And as usual they peddled the predator lie and tired to attack Mayor Annise Parker .

How ironic that this event happened at a anti-trans megachurch who had a youth minister sent to jail for 5 years  for actually being a child predator. 

Can you say 'hypocrites' people?

They need to stop projecting and look for the predators in their own GOP dominated ministerial ranks.  These out of town GOP activists and their kneegrow sellouts also need to stop meddling in Houston human rights business.

Now for the good news. A recent Houston Area Realtors poll revealed that a majority of Houstonians favor keeping the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance and it's not even close. 

Houstonians in that HAR poll favored HERO by a 51%-36% margin with 13% undecided.  While that's good news, we can't relax until November 4.

What's November 4?  The day after Election Day.. 

The other good news from that poll is that two of the 2015 mayoral candidates vying to succeed Mayor Annise Parker and who support HERO in Sylvester Turner and Adrian Garcia are tied for the lead in it. 

The poll reflects the general perception of the race in that the front runners are Turner and Garcia with three other candidates close behind.   The HERO haters like Ben Hall are at the bottom.   .

African-Americans for Prop 1 just put out another meme aimed at the Black community pointing out why the HERO is needed and necessary in our city.

There was also an event held at the Houston Area Urban League headquarters October 6 which was a conversation about racial discrimination.    56% of the HERO complaints received by the OIG office between May 28, 2014 and September 2 were for once again, RACIAL discrimination, with 17% being gender discrimination.

Tomorrow (October 9) starting at 5:30 PM on the UH campus will be a panel discussion on the topic of HERO and the Future of the LGBTQ Movement.  

It is presented by Texas Rising (of the Texas Freedom Network) and the Women's, Gender, & Sexuality Studies Student Group and will take place in the Bayou Room of the UH Student Center

The discussion will focus on why local non-discrimination policies like HERO are so important and how we must include trans* people and people of color in post-marriage campaigns to win comprehensive non-discrimination policies and to honor LGBT history that is often overlooked.

Additional discussion will center on how we go about ensuring that the most vulnerable communities not only be at the table, but be leading the tables moving forward as a movement.

Scheduled panelists for this discussion are: --Mike Webb (Legacy Community Health)
--Jaimie Bockmon (UH Student and activist)
--Melanie Pang, LMSW (Social worker and social justice activist)
--Dee Dee Waters (Houston activist)
.
Hope people can attend because it should be an interesting discussion.

The Fight To Keep HERO- October 6

The deadline to register for this year's mayoral election passed at midnight, and if you didn't handle that business, it's too late for the upcoming election for you to participate.   However, if you haven't done so, not too late for you to register fo next years presidential election.

Time to blow up another lie the HERO haters have been telling in terms of the ordinance applies to them.

While I'm of the opinion it should apply to churches and religious institutions, especially since there have ben far too many pastors bearing false witness against the Houston trans community, and another HERO opponent revealed to be a serial sexual harasser, the facts are there is a general exemption in our non-discrimination ordinance for religious organizations.

Anyone telling you otherwise is lying to you.

Two weeks ago I was interviewed by Houston political blogger Charles Kuffner, whose Off the Kuff blog is the go to one for Houston and Texas political news. . I expressed my thoughts about how the HERO defense campaign was going at the time along with a few other subjects we discussed..

Here's the link to that interview.

The financial reports were released recently, and Houston unites has raised $1,292,893 for the campaign so far, spent $597, 299 and has $521,462 on hand.   The HERO haters have yet to file their report. 

Just need y'all to spend some of that money on radio commercials on Black radio stations over the next several weeks and canvassing in Districts B, D, J and K .

We've had a few organizations and news outlets starting to get off their behinds and get behind the passage of Proposition 1.

The Houston Chronicle got the ball rolling by urging a YES vote on Prop1. KPRC-TV2, our local NBC station unleashed an editorial urging a YES vote for Prop 1

In Sunday's Houston Chronicle, several groups that had already expressed their support for our local human rights ordinance took out a full page ad to remind people once again they support the law..

We're one day closer to early voting on October 19.

The Fight To Keep HERO- September 30

We are one day closer to the October 5 deadline to register to vote for this upcoming civic election in which unfortunately, our Houston human rights law was forced onto the ballot by partisan GOP politics.

The HERO haters are desperately attempting their fear and smear tactics in their last ditch effort to try to hoodwink and bamboozle people into voting against their own civil rights.

56% of the discrimination complaints received by the Houston office of the Inspector General since the passage of the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance on May 28, 2014 have been race related with another 17% of the complaints received by the OIG have been based on sex.

And the ongoing discriminatory mess with the Gaslight Club has shown a bright spotlight on why the City of Houston needs a local remedy to deal with local discrimination since the state of Texas does not have a non-discrimination law, federal law does not cover everyone, and filing federal anti-discrimination lawsuits is expensive and time consuming... .  

Rather than wait for Houston Unites to come up with an action plan for discussing HERO, Black Houston activists concerned about th lack of action in our communities have begun to mobilize and do the work necessary to deliver affirmative votes for it from our neighborhoods.

They have started the African Americans For Prop 1 Facebook page in order to provide a rapid response to anti-HERO lies, tell the truth about what HERO does, and provide information about upcoming events in the Houston Black community.



The bottom line is that the HERO oppostion has been since  last May disseminating lies about HERO unchallenged.  This election will probably be decided in Black neighborhoods, and we must get accurate information to our people to counteract the right wing lies.

This site is just part of a grassroots effort to do precisely that.

The Battle To Keep HERO-September 29

One of the reasons I'm more than pissed off about the lack of pushback in Black Houston over the lies the HERO opposition and their kneegrow sellouts are telling about our local civil rights law is because the people who are being negatively affected by the current status quo non-coverage situation are people of color.

Specifically, women of color.

56% of the HERO complaints are not only race related, but the next highest category of complaints logged by the Houston Office of the Inspector General who would be tasked with investigating them are sex discrimination at 17%.

Even the two high profile trans discrimination cases that have occurred in H-town also fit that pattern. The Izza Lopez one in 2006 and the Leyth Jamal one in 2012 not only happened inside the Houston city limits. but happened to Latina and Black trans women.

And yes, the increasingly infamous Gaslamp nightclub has also aimed their reprehensible anti-Black hatred at Black women.



This continuing cesspool of discrimination, by the way, would have had a local remedy to deal with it if HERO hadn't been screwed with by the Harris County Republican Party, the all GOP Texas Supreme Court, and out of town activists messing with Houston human rights business.

In some good HERO news, the Houston Association of Realtors board voted to support Prop 1.

“The Houston Association of Realtors sees HERO as an extension of the Code of Ethics to which licensed Realtors must adhere each day to ensure the fair and ethical treatment of all real estate consumers,” said HAR Chair Nancy Furst. “Our 31,000-member association respects and celebrates Houston’s diverse population, and we believe HERO complements the Realtor commitment to conduct business without discrimination of any kind.”

In voting to support HERO, the HAR board recognized that similar equal rights laws are on the books in more than 200 U.S. cities, including Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth and San Antonio, and 17 states, and have not resulted in any reports of increased public safety problems. The board concluded that the anti-discrimination measure “promotes a healthy business climate throughout Houston.”

It joins other heavyweight H-town business associations in the Greater Houston Partnership, The Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Hotel and Lodging Association of Greater Houston in urging YES votes to keep HERO.

The Fight To Keep HERO-September 28

We're creeping closer to not only the deadline to get registered to vote in this 2015 city election, but also the October 19 first day of early voting..  If you haven't registered to vote yet, you have until October 5 to do so.

The latest attempt to put a fresh coat of lipstick on the same discredited anti-trans lie the anti-HERO peeps have been telling came in a recorded commercial coming from former Houston Astro lance Berkman.

And whatever respect I had for Berkman died when those anti-trans lies hit the air.

Athlete Ally's Joe Valentine quickly responded with a rebuttal to the vile Berkman ads.

"I'm the father of two wonderful little girls and spent years a a major league pitcher. As a dad, I would do anything to protect my daughters.,  As a major league ball player Lance Berkman does not speak for me, or any of the other fair minded guys in baseball.   Berkman's comments don't reflect the facts. Proposition 1 will not allow men in women's bathrooms.  It simply allows everyone to work hard and be treated fairly, no matter who they are, and that includes transgender people."

FYI, Section 28.20 of the Houston City Code of Ordinances is already on the books to deal with people who wish to go into bathrooms to commit criminal acts

The pro-HERO side is hitting back, and while I still have major problems with the slow response of Houston Unites to combat the negative media, they have released a TV commercial that is on air
But where the need is most critical is on Black radio and doing canvasing work in Houston's Black neighborhoods.   We also need to have trans POC people speaking uninterrupted against the lies of ou predominately Black faux faith based opposition.

And why hasn't Houston Unites deployed this gem from last year's HERO fight of suburban pastor Becky Riggle stating she has a 'right to discriminate'?

Hey love y'all, just asking the question that needs to be asked. This is civil rights malpractice to not use this

It was Becky and Steve's Grace Community Church that hosted the hate rally that Mike Suckabee Huckabee came to H-town for and CM Michael Kubosh made the statement that 'God put him on city council to oppose the HERO'

And why wouldn't you get Cassandra Thomas' video testimony from those HERO council hearings that emphatically debunks their predator lies?




Handle your human rights business Houston Unites.  Prove me wrong that you aren't as I and other Houston Black LGBT people and our allies distressingly see you as in terms of rerunning the 2008 Cali Prop 8 defense campaign.

A campaign, may I remind you that lost..

The Fight To Keep HERO-September 25, 2015

We are creeping close to some critical dates in our ongoing battle to keep HERO here in H-town, and need to point them out.

October 5 is the last day to register to vote for the upcoming November 3 election.   So if you haven't registered to vote and wish to participate in the mayoral election and vote YES for Prop 1, then you need to bust a move and handle your electoral business.

The other critical date is October 19, which is the first day of early voting, and continue until Friday October 30.

I also had the delicious pleasure of watching karma kick HERO hatin' mayoral candidate Ben Hall in the behind.  The Harris County Republican Party finally threw this useful fool under the bus and stared calling him out not only for his previous HERO support, but being a sustaining Democratic Party member who has made large contributions to Democratic Party candidates

Couldn't happen to a nicer sellout.

This is also the first TV commercial from Houston Unites, the umbrella coalition that is fighting to keep HERO in the Houston Code of Ordinances.




Nice commercial, but not enough to combat the toxic anti-trans rhetoric being pimped by the other side and is their only play to defeat HERO.

Last night I had the pleasure of being interviewed by local political blogger Charles Kuffner about mine and other Black SGL leaders concerns about the alarming lack of outreach to Houston's Black media and lack of canvassing in Black neighborhoods that will probably decide this election  

As soon as it's posted on Off The Kuff, I'll share it with you.

The Fight To Keep HERO-September 23

Just in case some of you Houston LGBT peeps wish to disregard what I and the Houston Black LGBT community are saying regarding our concerns about how the fight to keep HERO is going, I would remind you about what happened when Pride Houston made the mistake of ignoring us when we told them they had a potential political problem brewing over the boneheaded move of Pride to Juneteenth, and the wise play would be to move it back to it's traditional last weekend in June date..

And we remember how that turned out.   They arrogantly ignored us, and paid for their lack of vision. Note that the Pride Parade was moved back to its traditional date, but only after the media firestorm we predicted would happen transpired.

So once again, you may wish to listen to what we Houston Black SGL peeps have to say, because the stakes are far higher in terms of whether or not we keep a human rights ordinance that covers the entire city.

The Battle to Keep HERO will be decided in the 'hood, not outside of it.  If Houston Unites believes otherwise, they are making a serious mistake that will cost them this election.

Here's a FB commentary from SGL community ally Tarah Taylor, who is concerned about how this HERO fight is transpiring.

***

Tarah Taylor 

So I'm going to go ahead and say what everybody's whispering about because not saying it does my people a disservice 

WE WILL LOSE ON HERO IN NOVEMBER.  

Why? Because nonprofit interest groups are choosing to IGNORE the black community - the group that benefits the most from HERO and has the most opposition to the ordinance.The field is wrong, timing is wrong, staff is wrong, marketing is wrong, offense is wrong, defense is wrong. 

All who are involved, I love y'all, has nothing to do with you personally but the grant money has you locked into a strategy that WILL NOT WORK and only caters to one marginalized group. And the black community that supports HERO doesn't appreciate your late response to our issues if there is a response at all - hasn't been one yet.

 Can we fix it? Yes, but you'll have to make some alliances, hold supporting organizations accountable, cut some turf in black neighborhoods, and knock those doors WITH THE RIGHT messengers IMMEDIATELY!

If y'all are mad about be saying it, imagine how mad I am watching this get thrown together and go down in flames 

HERO has volunteers that WANT to canvas the black neighborhoods to talk about racial issues but there's no infrastructure set up for it. Good portion of black voters vote by mail, mail-in ballots go out next week. WTF? 

Where's the strategy and field plan for women voters? Veteran voters? DisABLEd voters? Religious voters, business owners... I mean, what are we doing here???

In the words of Dr. Cleo Manago, you cannot talk to black people about a human rights issue using a white LGBT framework.

***

You can either listen to Tarah and make the necessary adjustments or ignore her and suffer the consequences.   I would rather us take precautions, do what is necessary to win so that we are celebrating on November 3 and not put the Houston Black LGBT community in the position of saying 'we told you so' as others scratch their heads and ask what happened?

This has too much of a Prop 8 feel to it right now, and I and the Houston Black community that supports HERO is not liking it.

Moving on, we have some interesting news in the fact that HERO Hatin' mayoral candidate Ben Hall has been busted by his GOP friends for his flip flop on HERO  and his past support of Democratic candidates.  W

What took them so long?   And why didn't our side hit 'em with that first?

There's also a Faith Leaders Breakfast For HERO tomorrow at Grace Lutheran Church from 8-10 AM.

One day close to the crucial vote on Prop 1.

The Fight To Keep HERO-September 21

'Black ministers in Houston have been particularly outspoken against the ordinance, and, by all accounts, they've been highly effective. Their parishioners and congregants need to show a little independence. They need to read the ordinance themselves, consider the experience of other cities and apply a little common sense to the issue.'-Houston Chronicle, 'Time to be HERO-ic' , September 20, 2015


While I was in Washington DC for the National Black Justice Coalition's just concluded OUT on the Hill Black LGBTQ/SGL Leadership Summit, one of the questions I and my fellow Houstonians attending the conference frequently had to answer while I was inside I-495 was 'What's going on with the HERO?

And what was my answer to the inside the Beltway folks and other Black LGBT peeps like me about it?  "It's 50-50 whether we keep HERO or it gets repealed"

As many people I've talked to about the Houston Unites campaign know, I haven't been happy about the way this has been run since the opening August press conference.  One of the communities that will be critical in determining whether the HERO lives as it should or dies will be the Houston Black community. 

My problem with Houston Unites not only is the lack of will to utterly destroy the trans predator myth, but the problematic lack of consistent pushback in the Houston Black community in the face of negative anti-HERO ads aimed at the Black community being played unchecked on Majic 102 and Ben Hall owned KCOH.

I also have a problem with the failure so far to go on offense concerning the opposition lies that a HERO that covers 15 categories is a 'LGBT ordinance', Federal law already covers everyone and HERO isn't necessary (no it doesn't)  and we need to repeal it so we can 'rewrite it to cover everyone'.

I have also been scratching my head at the ongoing human rights malpractice as to why Houston Unites hasn't pointed out the consequences of what WILL happen to Houston economically if Prop 1 isn't approved.

Note to the HERO haters.  The ordinance already covers every Houstonian, and you need to stop telling the lie that it doesn't   Why shouldn't we have a local, non expensive alternative to combating local discrimination besides filing an expensive federal lawsuit?
Houston Unites needs to be bolder and as relentless in taking the message to Black media outlets and the Houston Black community that HERO protects us from local discrimination as our opponents have been since last year in aggressively demonizing the Houston trans community and putting out disinformation about the ordinance.

It's way past time to rebuke these Houston pastors who repeatedly violate the Ninth Commandment. You do not have to be nice and 'take the high road' against an opponent who wants to oppress you. doesn't care about facts, and is willing to throw their own human rights and the human rights of an entire city under the bus just to get a win and as a bonus for them, satisfy their irrational faux faith based hatred of the Houston LGBT community at the same time.

Neither can it all be on the Houston Black community to find out on their own that some of their ministers are lying to them. That strategy ain't working. Houston Unites is going to need to spend some money NOW just like you're doing for other Houston demographic communities on ramped up media and canvassing efforts targeted specifically to council districts Districts B, D and J for starters.

You're welcome.

The situation also can't continue of the Houston Black LGBT community going it alone on our underfunded education efforts.  We could use some money and air time to get our message out there to our people.    

I and other Houston Black LGBT people who busted our azzes to pass this much needed ordinance are NOT happy about the silence of the local NAACP, Houston area Black politicians. and the local Urban League chapter for starters to get behind Proposition 1,  It would also be nice and deeply appreciated if Houston Unites hires folks from the demonized Houston Black LGBT community to talk to our community as only we can to blow up those lies.

Houston Unites, it's  past time for you to be HERO-ic too.  If you want to win on November 3, you'll do that ASAP.   

The Fight To Keep HERO- September 15

The fallout continues over the Gaslamp bar discrimination case as the owners put their attorney out there to handle the media firestorm that has erupted since the news broke of three African-American men facing the discrimination tactic of selective cover charges.

Had HERO been in effect, it would have fallen under public accommodations discrimination, and these gentlemen could have gone to the Houston Office of Inspector General and filed a HERO complaint

But since it has been messed with by SCOTX, their only alternative is to file an expensive federal lawsuit.   Texas does not have a statewide anti-discrimination law, and with the Republicans in control of the Lege and the governor's mansion, we aren't going to see one get passed any time soon.

And even if by some miracle the GOP controlled Texas Lege ;decided to pass one, guess which Texans wouldn't be covered in a GOP created law, much less would be useless in addressing discrimination

Something else that has popped up is this interesting Saikat Bhakra post that takes some Yelp data and asks the question what city has the most racist nightlife?

Sadly out of the top ten cities in Bhakra's post, Houston ranked number 5 in the 'Most Racist Nightlife' category.   That is not a good situation when you are trying to draw convention business to the GRB, building another 1000 room Marriott Marquis hotel on the northern end of Discovery Green in the Convention Center district to accommodate that business. competing with other large cites (that have HERO like NDO's) to attract major sporting events to our arenas and stadiums, and working hard to get people and corporations to relocate here.

That post seems to corroborate what many folks testified to was occurring in the four City Council hearings we had prior to getting HERO passed on May 28, 2014.

As a matter of fact, what triggered the push to get HERO passed was Judge Alexandra Smoots-Hogan and a Latino friend being denied entrance to a club on Washington Ave and her subsequent discovery along with Councilmember Ellen Cohen that Houston and the state of Texas had no local remedy to combat discrimination.

Why should you have to hire a lawyer to file an expensive and time consuming federal lawsuit to combat discrimination?   HERO provides a local remedy for discrimination issues that occur here.

A world class city doesn't enable or tolerate discrimination.   It works diligently to eradicate it.