“The Greater Houston Partnership knows that Houston needs the Equal Rights Ordinance to remain one of America’s great cities”. “As a global bank that values diversity, we see it as a source of strength that will help us build better workplaces and stronger communities”.
Advertisement
The ordinance protects citizens from discrimination based upon race, age, disability, veteran status, gender identity and sexual orientation.
As part of HRC’s contribution to the Houston Unites campaign, HRC staff member Ryan Wilson has been on the ground in Houston for the past two months serving as the campaign’s Director of Business Engagement. Proposition 1 would allow troubled men who claim to be women to enter women’s bathrooms, showers and locker rooms.
Super Bowl LI will be hosted at the Texans’ stadium in February 2017.
When Houston’s first openly gay mayor, Annise Parker, pushed the ordinance through the city council past year, several Houston-area pastors spoke out against it. Parker later subpoenaed their sermons and touched off a fight over religious liberty and free speech.
Former Houston Astros player Lance Berkman has also spoken out in opposition to the HERO bill.
Opponents say that the proposed ordinance requires Houston businesses to make all women’s bathrooms, showers, and locker rooms available to all who are dressed in female attire, without regard to biological sex. “But here in Houston, veterans can be discriminated against just because they served in the military”, Noel Freeman, a retired senior Airman in the United States Air Force, explained.
Berkman said he was encouraging voters to reject the ordinance because the safety of his four daughters was more important to him than anything else – including baseball. The Mayor contends that her opinions on the GLBT issue is more about freedom of speech than promotion of an ideology.
The proposition will come to a vote on November 3.
Advertisement
Lana Shadwick is a contributing writer and legal analyst for Breitbart Texas.
