Equality Texas announced on December 17 that its executive director, Chuck Smith is leaving and being replaced with an interim executive director. No reason was given for Smith’s departure. “For 15 years, Chuck Smith served our organization, establishing Equality Texas as a credible, successful, and relentless advocate in Texas state politics,” Elizabeth Myers, president of…
Texas LGBTs Reminded of Affordable Care Act’s December 15 Enrollment Deadline
Equality Texas is spreading the word to the LGBT community that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is still the law of the land and consumers have until December 15 to sign up for health care coverage. In an email sent out on December 3, Equality Texas CEO Chuck Smith explains, “There are more insurers than…
Sheryl Sculley Has Been a Steadfast LGBT Ally During Her Tenure as City Manager
Sheryl Sculley’s November 29 announcement that she will retire after a 13-year tenure as San Antonio’s city manager is a bittersweet development for the LGBT community where she is seen as a steadfast ally. Sculley was the highest ranking city official to ever reach out to the LGBT community when in 2006 she addressed a…
Ted Cruz Campaign Ad Features Sheriff Who Threatened Transgender Women
Senator Ted Cruz’s re-election campaign is currently airing an ad that features comments by a Denton County, Texas sheriff who in 2016 said he would assault any transgender woman who might use the same restroom as his daughter. In the debate on the bathroom bill during the last session of the state legislature, Sheriff Tracy…
Equality Texas Joins Opposition to Appointment of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to SCOTUS
In an email to supporters, Equality Texas announced it was joining state and national LGBT leaders in opposing the confirmation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court. On July 9, President Donald J. Trump nominated Kavanaugh, who has spent 12 years serving in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, to…
Town Hall to Address Refusal of Service to LGBTs After SCOTUS Masterpiece Cakeshop Decision
Last June, in a 7-2 decision, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in favor of the owner of the Masterpiece Cakeshop in Colorado, absolving him from legal liability for refusing to sell a wedding cake to a gay couple because it went against his religious beliefs. While many legal experts have maintained the…
What the U.S. Supreme Court’s Masterpiece Cakeshop Decision Means for Religious Refusal Laws in Texas
By Emma Platoff, The Texas Tribune Last year, a dispute over a Colorado wedding cake made it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court — and this week, the reverberations of the high court’s ruling made it all the way to Texas. After the high court ruled Monday in favor of a Christian baker…
A Gay Texas Teacher Is on Leave After She Showed Students a Photo of Her Wife. She Has Few Legal Protections.
By Emma Platoff, The Texas Tribune Stacy Bailey has been employed as an art teacher at Charlotte Anderson Elementary School for a decade, but she hasn’t been in the classroom since September. Instead, she’s in limbo: She isn’t fired — her contract with the district has even been renewed — but she’s not working. Mansfield…
A Guide to Voting While Trans
We all know voting matters. Our elected officials have direct impacts on our lives, especially at the local level. But being transgender can often lead to anxiety when it is time to cast your vote. I’m lucky enough to have voted without incident for several years, but I know that many in our community can’t…
Community Groups Plan DreamWeek Events
Now in its sixth year, DreamWeek, which this year takes place from January 5 to 20, is a series of events that focus on fostering “the free exchange of ideas on universal issues affecting the human race.” The ultimate goal of DreamWeek is to advance “the voices of tolerance, equality and diversity.” Over 150 events…