The ruling carries special power in the Lone Star State, which is among those that doesn’t extend protections to workers based on their gay or transgender identities. However, some cities, including San Antonio, have enacted anti-discrimination ordinances. Democratic congressional candidate Gina Ortiz Jones, who’s running to represent a border district that also includes a slice…
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Florida Rep. Darren Soto Announces Legislation to Designate Pulse a National Memorial
Previously published in the Orlando Weekly. As Orlando pauses for a day of reflection and remembrance on the fourth anniversary of the mass shooting at the gay nightclub Pulse, Florida Democratic Rep. Darren Soto has announced he is filing a bill for the Pulse site to be made a national memorial. The proposed bill –…
University of Texas Researchers Seek Participants for Statewide LGBTQ Covid-19 Survey
Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin, with the local participation of Pride Center San Antonio and Texas Pride Impact Funds, are seeking participants for a statewide survey to ascertain the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the LGBTQ community. The survey, which was initiated on May 4, seeks to understand the concerns and…
Progressive Group VoteVets Makes $270,000 Ad Buy for Gina Ortiz Jones
Originally published in the San Antonio Current. VoteVets PAC has snapped up $270,000 in TV advertising to support Gina Ortiz Jones, the Democrat running to represent a swing congressional district that includes San Antonio and a massive swath of South Texas. The spots, which will run in San Antonio during the first half of September,…
Progressive Religious Organizations of San Antonio to Host Virtual Pride Interfaith Service
On June 14, Progressive Religious Organizations of San Antonio (PRO SA) will host an interfaith service, Pride: Claiming our Faiths, a virtual celebration where LGBTQ worshipers of different faiths will come together for music, history, reflections, and a virtual social gathering on Zoom afterwards. PRO SA is a network of clergy and lay people concerned…
Equality Texas: ‘We dragged our feet in prioritizing the work to become an anti-racist organization’
Equality Texas: ‘We dragged our feet in prioritizing the work to become an anti-racist organization’
Ricardo Martinez, CEO of Equality Texas, issued the following statement on June 5, 2020. A Promise to Become Anti-Racist As an LGBTQ+ organization we’ve assumed unity among our membership in solidarity of all marginalized groups and have often spoken on behalf of all of our members. But have we stood, fought, and cried loud enough…
San Antonio LGBTQIA+ Community Statement for Black Lives
The following statement was issued on June 3, 2020 by members, leaders and organizations from San Antonio’s LGBTQIA community. It is the beginning of Pride Month. As a community, we must always stand for what is just. Therefore, the undersigned LGBTQIA+ community members and leaders have come together to stand as a community in solidarity…
S.A. LGBT Chamber Issues Statement Condemning Violence During Police Brutality Protest
The San Antonio LGBT Chamber of Commerce issued a statement on June 1 condemning the violence and vandalism that broke out during an anti-police brutality protest in downtown San Antonio on May 30. The protest was in reaction to the killing of George Floyd, a black man in Minneapolis who died after a local policeman,…
Commentary: Let the Rainbow Flag Fly in Court
This commentary was originally published in the San Antonio Express-News. It is being republished here with the permission of the author. Courtrooms are filled with symbols designed to send a message to all who enter. The most common is Lady Justice, blindfolded and holding scales, to signify that justice should be blind and balanced. The…
Texas Attorney Gen. Ken Paxton’s Letter to City of Austin Supersedes Local LGBTQ Hiring Law
On May 12, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton wrote a letter of warning to the mayors and county judges of the Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio metropolitan areas saying that local officials could not impose stricter Covid-19 restrictions than those mandated by Governor Greg Abbott. However, in a letter to the City of Austin and…