Originally published in the San Antonio Current. Councilman Ron Nirenberg unseated incumbent Mayor Ivy Taylor in a heated runoff election for San Antonio mayor Saturday night. “Tonight the voters got it right,” Nirenberg told the crowd gathered at his election headquarters Saturday night. “Tonight the voters rejected the politics of division and false choices. They…
Police Say Riverwalk Death of Trans Woman Was Homicide
Originally published in the San Antonio Current. April first met Kenne McFadden when they were eighth graders at Kirby Middle School, some 14 years ago. She described the 12-year-old as “goofy and uplifting.” “[McFadden] always kept us smiling and laughing,” April told the Current. (She asked to only be identified by her first name.) They…
Texas Senate Advances Bill Allowing Adoption Agencies to Discriminate Against LGBT Parents
Originally published in the San Antonio Current In the midst of what the Governor has called a foster care “crisis” in Texas, state Senators voted to tentatively approve a bill to make it easier for religious adoption agencies to turn away prospective parents. Sen. Charles Perry’s House Bill 3859 would grant state foster care and…
Texas Lawmakers Drop Anti-Trans Amendment in Exchange for Defunding Planned Parenthood
Originally published in the San Antonio Current. In the wee hours of last Friday morning, Texas House representatives decided it was finally time to vote on a state budget. But even after 15 hours of negotiations (and drama) on the House floor, there was still a long list of bill amendments they had yet to…
Abbott Mocks NFL for Opposing Anti-Trans Bill
Originally published in the San Antonio Current Governor Greg Abbott decided to attack the NFL over Twitter this weekend for its threat to halt future Texas Super Bowls if Abbott signs an anti-transgender bill into law. In a brief Friday email, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told the Associated Press that a discriminatory law like Texas’…
Dan Patrick Says Economic Concerns Over Anti-Trans Bill Are “Bogus”
Originally published in the San Antonio Current According to Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, passing a bill that allows business owners to discriminate against transgender Texans won’t have any economic impact on the state. “I don’t know of any business that hasn’t moved to Houston because of the issue,” said Patrick at a Monday press…
Texas Supreme Court to Hear Case Attacking Benefits of Married LGBT Couples
Originally published in the San Antonio Current. On Friday, the Texas Supreme Court changed its mind about hearing a case threatening the rights of married gay couples in the state. The case, brought against the City of Houston by anti-LGBT lobbyists, would specifically block same-sex spouses of government employees from receiving any health benefits (benefits…
Could an Anti-Cyberbullying Bill Do More Harm Than Good For Texas Kids?
Originally published in the San Antonio Current In December, a pair of San Antonio state lawmakers filed a bill to address what seems to be a universally agreed-upon menace: Cyberbullying. In particular, aggressive cyberbullying across social media platforms by school-aged kids — the kind that can push kids to commit suicide. But with its focus…
Lt. Gov. Patrick Unleashes Anti-Transgender Bill
Originally published in the San Antonio Current Texas Lieutenant Gov. Dan Patrick began his Thursday press conference introducing a bill that would segregate transgender people from the general public by quoting Martin Luther King, Jr.: “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent on things that matter.” But not once during his press…
Trans Prisoner Granted Parole After Years of Violent Abuse
Originally published in the San Antonio Current Passion Star, formally known as Joshua Zollicoffer, has filed more than 30 grievances for the chronic sexual and physical abuse she’s endured as a transgender women within the Texas prison system. For her past 14 years behind bars, Star’s grievances have largely been ignored by prison officials. Only…