A new ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court makes clear that it violates federal law to fire an employee on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation. Now Texas lawmakers want to guarantee similar protections for LGBTQ Texans in housing, health care and other spheres. by Emma Platoff and Cassandra Pollock, The Texas Tribune…
“Bathroom Bill” Fizzles as Republican Primary Issue
By Patrick Svitek, February 6, 2018 The “bathroom bill,” once touted as a surefire issue for the 2018 Republican primaries, is barely registering in them with less than a month until Election Day. Last year, state lawmakers waded into an intense, emotional debate over whether the state should restrict which bathrooms transgender Texans could use,…
Growing Number of Corporate Leaders Step Up Opposition to Bathroom Bill
CEO’s from 10 Fortune 500 companies voiced their opposition to the Texas bathroom bill in a letter which was sent to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday, August 3. “No industry will remain untouched by the unnecessary harm that discriminatory laws will do to our competitiveness, to our ability to attract talent, and to our…
At the Texas Capitol, bathroom bill debate revs back up
By Alexa Ura, The Texas Tribune July 18, 2017 There’s a slight sense of déjà vu at the Texas Capitol. Legislative proposals to regulate bathroom use for transgender Texans are rolling in. LGBT advocates are fiercely denouncing them as discriminatory. Fearing economic fallout, business groups and corporations are rallying in opposition. And the leaders of…
New Study Renews Fears About Texas Bathroom Bill’s Financial Impacts
By Alexa Ura, The Texas Tribune April 17, 2017 In the aftermath of one troubled study on the economic impact of a “bathroom bill” in Texas, San Antonio tourism officials are returning to the legislative debate with another dire financial outlook. Legislation viewed by many as discriminatory toward LGBT Texans — including proposals to regulate…
HRC Opens Field Office in SA
The Human Rights Campaign officially opened a field office in San Antonio on Sunday, March 5 with scores of activists on hand for the occasion. The office, located at 315 9th Street in San Antonio, is one of four field offices HRC is opening in the state. The others are located in Austin, Houston and…
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…
Straus Warns of Economic Consequences if Bathroom Bill Passes
Addressing the Texas Association of Business conference on January 18, Texas House Speaker Joe Straus said lawmakers should consider the economic consequences to the state if a proposed bathroom bill (SB6) is passed by the legislature. “There’s been a lot of work put into our state’s economic success. We want to continue that success, and…
Dan Patrick Denies Bathroom Bill Will Hurt Texas
Lt. Governor Dan Patrick says the bathroom bill (SB6) that was introduced last week by state Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, and which he is championing, will not have an economic impact as Texas business leaders have warned. SB6 bars transgender people from using the bathroom that matches their gender identity. In an interview with the Texas…
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…