Originally published in the San Antonio Current. Mayoral aspirant Greg Brockhouse seems to be holding out hope that Chick-Fil-A will be the hen that plops out a golden egg come June 8. In a news release, the District 6 councilman argued that a decision to remove discussion of two federal grants from this week’s council…
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…
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…
Brockhouse Pushes for New Vote on Chick-Fil-A
Using a loophole from Robert’s Rules of Order, City Councilman and mayoral candidate Greg Brockhouse announced that he will seek a new vote on the Chick-Fil-A concession at the San Antonio Airport. “Every day the Chick-fil-A removal decision is allowed to stand hurts our reputation nationwide as a welcoming and inclusive city,” Brockhouse said in…
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…
Sexually Transmitted Disease Rates Skyrocket in San Antonio and Across the U.S.
Bexar County has an STD problem. And it’s not going away anytime soon. Texas’ Department of State Health Services documented 18,125 cases of syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhea in the county during 2017, down slightly from the 19,066 cases reported the prior year — but still up an alarming 16 percent from five years ago. Statewide,…
Texas Attorney General Demands School District Hand Over Controversial Human Sexuality Curriculum
By Aliyya Swaby, The Texas Tribune June 28, 2018 Attorney General Ken Paxton sent a letter to Fort Worth ISD Superintendent Kent Scribner on Thursday evening demanding he hand over a copy of the district’s controversial sixth-grade human sexuality curriculum, which includes lessons about gender identity and sexual orientation. Paxton claimed in the letter that…
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…
Trump Judicial Nominee from Texas Says Trans Kids Are Part of ‘Satan’s Plan’
One of President Donald Trump’s nominees for a federal judgeship in Texas is a notorious homophobe who supports conversion therapy, says marriage equality will lead to polygamy and bestiality, and maintains that trans kids are evidence of “Satan’s plan.” Jeff Mateer currently serves as the first assistant attorney general of Texas, a position he has…
Texas Supreme Court Throws Out Ruling That Favored Same-Sex Marriage Benefits
By Alexa Ura, The Texas Tribune June 30, 2017 Editor’s note: This story has been updated throughout. The Texas Supreme Court on Friday threw out a lower court ruling that said spouses of gay and lesbian public employees are entitled to government-subsidized same-sex marriage benefits. The state’s highest civil court ordered a trial court to…