I just got back form the Texas Capitol. The bad news is that the GOP dominated Texas House approved sending a constitutional amendment to voters this fall defining marriage as between one man and one woman and banning even civil unions by a vote of 102 to 29.
The good news is that the Democrats who spoke in the debate forcefully and energetically called the amendment bigoted, hateful and discriminatory.
I was proud of those who spoke out, especially representatives Rafael Anchia of Dallas, Jessica Farrar of Houston and Mark Strama of Austin. It was clear that the theocrats could pass whatever they wanted, and these folk could have simply gone silent without any political risk, especially Rep. Strama who is from a close district. But they did not.
If you live in Texas consider writing a note of encouragement to these three as well as to Senfronia Thompson, Elliott Naishtat, Lon Burnam, Garnet Coleman, Mike Villarreal and others who stood against the bigotry and called it what it was on the House floor.
The resolution must still go to the State Senate, which is not as committed to taking up the matter as the House was, and is not, although dominated by the Republicans, as conservative and reactionary as the State House.
I met or spoke privately with Farrar, Anchia and Strama before the vote, and I was impressed by the fervor with which they addressed the problems of the gay community. These folk are our friends, and they did fight for us, even though it was certain they would lose. I am proud of them and the work they are doing.
The expressions of solidarity with gay and lesbian Texans by the Democrats so dominated the actual debate that, despite the final vote, I left the Capitol feeling more affirmed and respected by my allies than trashed by my enemies. Over and over again a Democrat rose to denounce the Amendment as discriminatory, hateful or bigoted, and to affirm the need to equally protect all Texas citizens under the law and Constitution.
It’s comforting to know that you can still speak your mind, and speak out for common decency, even in one of most reactionary bodies in the United States.
at Texans. Although we seem to have way too many who are in “public service” for their own wealth enhancement and self-aggrandizement – and hence must pander to the fundamentalists, Texans take great pride in their independence, spine, and general orneriness.
We have more than our share of the fundamentalists, but I suspect that in other states, the pandering is just as egregious although directed at other interests (eg polluters or credit card companies).
I see an opportunity, especially in the West, for spine and principle to win people over. The wealthy elites who control most statehouses do most of their damage below the radar. No one really knows what their state leges are up to until it’s too late. But exposing what’s going on can slowly change people’s minds – I am firmly convinced that the majority of Americans, including Texans, are live-and-let-live when it comes to the LGBT community. Look at what happened with the Terri Schiavo story – when the political pandering was blatant and exposed, most people rejected it in disgust.
And remember advisorjim’s first diary over at Kos – it was gay issues, although he is not gay, that turned him away from the right. As he said, “Over the years, much of the way I view the world has changed. My best friend turned out to be gay, and I discovered that while it’s easy to hate homosexuals, it’s hard to hate “Scott”.” They go after gays because they think the fundamentalists are the only ones who will pay attention to this kind of thing, that the moderates and liberals who will be disgusted by it won’t even know about it.
Exposing what they are doing is one of the values of blogs like these (the corporate media’s not going to do it, unless poked with a very sharp stick). See Jerome’s wonderful sandcastles story.
The most important thing about the debate yesterday was the fervor and passion with which our guys stood up for us and denounced the bigotry.
Mark Strama of Austin should hear from every Texas Democrat, and every polically active gay or lesbian who reads this blog. He was a true profile in courage. He was barely elected as a Democrat in a District that leans Republican, yet he participated openly in the Debate. Mark’s contact information can be found at:
http://www.house.state.tx.us/members/dist50/strama.htm and at:
http://www.markstrama.com/
Here are some excerpts from a letter I wrote to Mark and others in the House before the debate:
“The Texas Constitution should affirm the rights of Texans, not deny them. This proposed amendment would denigrate the Texas Constitution by writing into it an axiom of discrimination based on the religious tenets of a minority of Texans.
The proposed Amendment would critically weaken Article I, Section 3, of the Texas Constitution, which provides, in pertinent part, that “All free men, when they form a social compact, have equal rights. . .” Article I, Section 3a would also be amended and weakened by the proposal. Section 3a states, “Equality under the law shall not be denied or abridged because of sex, race, color, creed, or national origin.” These powerful affirmations of the rights of all Texans must be protected from any encroachment.
Arguments in favor of the proposed amendment rest on a narrow interpretation of certain Biblical texts, all of which are subject to open and honest disagreement among Texans of faith. The religious zeal of a few Texans must not become a religious creed to be imposed upon all Texans through the Texas Constitution. Frankly, I think most Texans are Straight but not Narrow, and recognize that Gay and Lesbian Texans simply are not the threat to society that those on the religious right claim them to be.
Texas has had to learn the hard way that prejudice and discrimination hurt not only those people who are the object of the discrimination, but all Texans. Prejudice and discrimination root at best in misunderstanding, but are often fueled and inflamed by ignorance and hatred. Hatred is learned behavior, and the proponents of this Amendment quite simply are using the Texas Constitution as a vehicle to advance their view and institutionalize the fear, misunderstanding and hatred represented by it.
Gay and Lesbian people are all too often the targets of crimes of violence directed against them simply because of who they are. An election on this Amendment will provide a climate across Texas in which the hatred of those who commit these acts of violence will be inflamed and encouraged.”
Unofficial record, but you can find out how your rep voted here. And “find your rep” and contact info here.
Press releases from Anchia and Coleman, and copies of the floor remarks of Senfronia Thompson and Jessica Farrar are available here:
http://www.pinkdome.com
Thompson Compared the sponsors of the Amendment to those who decried miscegnation as an assalt on marriage and hanged people of her “color” who dated people of “Chissum’s color.” Anchia called it “Chissum’s Gay Tax.”
Glad you were there to get a real feel for the argument that preceded the vote. Here is my humble offering on the subject (sorry, I didn’t see your diary when I posted). I am hoping that people will mobilize on this. Dammit, I’m not willing to live in a state that is this ridiculously backwards!