“We must ensure all Americans are treated equally no matter who they are or who they love,” the Democratic presidential candidate says in offering his sixth major policy proposal. By Patrick Svitek, The Texas Tribune Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke released a proposal Wednesday morning to achieve equality for LGBTQ Americans and reinstate protections abandoned…
Texas House Passes Religious Liberty Bill Amid LGBTQ Caucus’ Objections
What started as a sweeping religious refusals bill has been significantly watered down as it moves through the Texas Legislature. But LGBTQ advocates still fiercely oppose it, saying it perpetuates hateful rhetoric. By Emma Platoff, The Texas Tribune Over the tearful opposition of the Legislature’s first-ever LGBTQ Caucus and several failed attempts at a procedural…
Gina Ortiz Jones Running Again to Unseat Texas U.S. Rep. Will Hurd
Gina Ortiz Jones, the Democrat who narrowly lost last year to U.S. Rep. Will Hurd, R-Helotes, is running again. By Patrick Svitek, The Texas Tribune Gina Ortiz Jones, the Democrat who narrowly lost last year to U.S. Rep. Will Hurd, R-Helotes, is running again. Jones, a former Air Force intelligence officer, launched her long-anticipated 2020…
Texas LGBTQ Caucus Marks Major Victory, Killing Bill They Feared Would Hurt Gay People
The LGBTQ Caucus, formed this year, notched a major victory Thursday evening, defeating a controversial measure as the Texas House raced toward a midnight deadline. By Emma Platoff, The Texas Tribune In their first major test, members of the Texas House’s LGBTQ Caucus helped muscle down a bill Thursday night that they characterized as an…
Pro-LGBTQ Bills Look Dead in the Texas House, but Advocates Say They’ve Made Progress
“Having a hearing is sometimes a victory,” said state Rep. Celia Israel, D-Austin, whose conversion therapy ban was debated for the first time this year. By Emma Platoff, The Texas Tribune In every session since she was elected to the Texas House, state Rep. Celia Israel has taken aim at the controversial practice of conversion…
With Business Groups’ Backing, House Panel Adds Non-Discrimination Protection to Senate Bill
State Rep. Dade Phelan added the provision to a Senate bill that would bar cities from enacting rules on how businesses schedule their employees’ shifts. LGBTQ groups worried that without the language, businesses could pick which employees get certain benefits. By Alex Samuels, The Texas Tribune Republicans’ legislative efforts to ban cities from mandating benefits…
Texas Senate Approves SB 17, a Bill LGBTQ Advocates Call a “License to Discriminate”
The bill passed on a 19–12 vote, with one Republican voting against it and one Democrat voting for it. It requires one more approval in the Senate before it heads to the Texas House. By Emma Platoff, The Texas Tribune After emotional testimony, a forceful show of opposition from leaders in the state’s business community…
Analysis: Texas Lawmakers Haven’t Sworn Off Culture Wars After All
Texas lawmakers are trying to focus on school finance and property taxes. But they’ve opened the door to state preemption of local laws that protect LGBT Texans. By Ross Ramsey, The Texas Tribune The leadership’s sales pitch for the current legislative session was all meat-and-potatoes, bread-and-butter stuff. No sharp objects, or frivolity or small-time political…
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is Investigating SA for Kicking Chick-fil-A Out of Airport
“The Constitution’s protection of religious liberty is somehow even better than Chick-fil-A’s chicken,” Paxton wrote in a Thursday letter to San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg and the rest of the council. By Emma Platoff, The Texas Tribune Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is investigating the city of San Antonio for potential First Amendment violations after…
Backlash Builds against UTEP President Nominee Heather Wilson
Student activists, professors and community members have rallied to oppose Wilson’s nomination, citing her anti-LGBTQ voting record. By Arya Sundaram, The Texas Tribune Earlier this month, Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson was chosen as the next president of the University of Texas at El Paso, with President Donald Trump’s Twitter blessings and praise. But over…