Houston Equal Rights Ordinance Upheld!

Sometimes common sense and equality actually wins in Texas.

Today state District Judge Robert Schaffer is the voice of common sense and equality.

Opponents of Houston's non-discrimination ordinance failed to gather enough valid signatures to force a repeal referendum, a state district judge ruled Friday, validating city officials' decision to toss out the petition foes submitted last summer.

After separate rulings from both a jury and state District Judge Robert Schaffer, attorneys for both sides entered dueling counts of the valid signatures, adding and subtracting voters as Schaffer responded to motions. By early this week, the counts were closer together than ever before, fewer than 1,000 signatures apart.

Ultimately, Schaffer on Friday ruled the final count of valid signatures was 16,684, leaving opponents short of the threshold required in the city charter of 17,249 signatures, or 10 percent of the ballots cast in the last mayoral election.

Houston has had a vibrant GLBTQ community for a very long time. It's the cultural center of the city and is one of the things that makes Houston such a world class town. There have always been haters. I remember watching rednecks with baseball bats cruise up and down Montrose through the heart of the district looking to bash. I have countless friends who had been on the receiving end of that kind of bashing in the past. For the most part the city has grown out of that, but it still exists. The haters are there. They may not be using bats as much as the internet and the voting booth but they are there.

But opponents, largely conservative activists and pastors whose objections center on the protections the law extends to gay and transgender residents, say they will appeal the decision.

It isn't over but they aren't going to win. Haters can't control Houston anymore, and really haven't for a long time. They can't stand that a city in Texas would have this kind of ordinance. It drives them crazy that they can't control it.

Bring it, haters. Bring it!

Chalk one up for equality and reason in the Lone Star State!

From Houston abc13:

HOUSTON -- A judge has ruled in favor of the city in Houston's Equal Rights Ordinance.

The district judge on Friday declared opponents of the ordinance, which prohibits discrimination based on several categories including race, sexual orientation and gender identity, did not have enough signatures required to put the issue on the ballot.

"I would hope that the plaintiffs would not appeal, they lost during a jury trial and today they also lost with the judge's ruling," said Houston Mayor Annise Parker. "Now all Houstonians have access to the same protections."

The ruling comes in response to a jury's decision back in February.

For those who do not know, Houston Mayor Annise Parker is a major force of progressive maturity and is the natural evolution of GLBTQ history in the city as our first openly gay Mayor.