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Dear Equality Texas Member,
This past weekend the boards of directors
of Equality Texas and Equality Texas Foundation met in
Dallas to work on our strategic planning and 2010 annual
plan. As we met for two days, we discussed the
importance of our work that is happening across Texas.
We continue to commit our energy and resources to our mission to
make equality happen here in Texas. The importance of our
focused mission is represented in the voices of students and
parents in our safe school forums this month. The need for
our work is illustrated by attempt to repeal domestic
partner insurance benefits for El Paso
city employees. The reality of discrimination is
represented by the Austin lesbian couple threatened with
violoence while taking a morning walk.
As we work with each of you to make equality a
reality in Texas, we also know the importance of
supporting our members' participation in
the upcoming National Equality March in Washington.
For those members that will be traveling
to Washington, DC, please consult the following
resource websites if they have not already done so:
National - Equality Across America
Texas - The Texas Contingent
Whether or not you go to Washington, we
ask you to think about how you can take direct action
to affect change in Texas.
We ask you to spend time and resources
to elect Annise Parker as the first openly lesbian mayor of
Houston and the first openly LGBT mayor of our nation's fourth
largest city. Annise Parker's election to office
is a critical battle that must be won in order to advance
equality in Houston and in Texas. The weeks just
before this November's election are critical to a successful
get-out-the-vote operation.
We ask our members in West Texas to continue to
support the City of El Paso's provision of domestic partner
benefits for their city employees. We are expecting a
possible ballot initiative that could come as early as next
May to protect these benefits. Additionally,
we ask our members in North Texas to hold Fort Worth
and TABC officials accountable for their actions in the Rainbow
Lounge raid, and asking members to become involved with Fairness
Fort Worth.
With these battles happening here in our own
backyard, there are some great opportunities to channel energy
into direct action with immediate results. We must harness the power of Texans that support
equality and demonstrate our ability to move people to make
positive change here, as well as in
DC.
We think all activism is a good thing.
When participants in the National March come home, we ask that
they devote their time, energy and resources to do the work that
must be done right here in Texas.
Sincerely,
Paul E. Scott,
Executive Director
P.S.
Will you help us continue our work by investing in Equality Texas today? Your contribution makes a
real difference.
EQTX: Making Equality Happen in
Texas |
Equality Texas Vandalized
 The offices of Equality Texas were
vandalized over the weekend sometime around 3 a.m. on
Sunday. The large front plate glass window was broken
out. Fortunately, nothing was taken from the office and there
was no entry to the building.
We were
the only office hit in our immediate area, however we now
believe we were the victim of random malicious mischief. On
Wednesday morning we learned that one of our residential
neighbors was awakened around 3 a.m. Sunday morning by
the sound of breaking glass and saw one teen male
running away from our
building.
Repair
costs and additional security will run around $1,200 -
if
you'd like to help us, please donate here.
Thanks to all the local businesses
and individual donors from across the
country for their
support!
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Safe Schools Forums
in Austin, Houston and San Antonio
Every
student in Texas schools deserves an education free from the
harmful physical and emotional effects of harassment and
bullying. However, as schools across the state are
reopening for the Fall term, thousands of Texas children dread
going to school to face the taunts, jeers, humiliation, physical
intimidation and pain inflicted through harassment and
bullying.
The Equality Texas Foundation is concerned
that most school districts’ current policies on bullying
and harassment may be inadequate, or inadequately
enforced. As a result, the Equality Texas
Foundation is hosting a number of Community Forums on Safe
Schools.
The
next Forum has been scheduled for:
Community Forum on Safe Schools - San
Antonio
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
6:00 p.m.
UTSA
Downtown Campus
Durango Building, Southwest Room
San
Antonio, TX
Read
about recent forums in Austin and Houston here:
AISD Parents Speak: Could TAKS Test Make Bullies
Worse?
Houston ISD Takes a Stand Against
Bullying.
Additional Community Forums are planned for North
Texas and West Texas. Watch for additional
information.
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Board Retreat in Dallas
The boards of Equality Texas and Equality Texas
Foundation held their annual retreat in Dallas last weekend
to focus on planning for 2010. The boards reviewed implementation
of their strategic plans, developed outlines
for 2010 annual plans and trained members in the areas of
board roles and responsibilities.
At a meeting during the retreat, Ronnie Lynn
Whitman (below left) of Willis, Texas, was
appointed to serve on both boards effective
immediately. Jeanne Rubin (below
right) of Frisco, Texas was appointed to the Equality Texas
Board of Directors.
Her term will begin in January, 2010.
 
Board member Troy Greenstreet and his partner, Brent
Willmott, hosted a reception Saturday evening for major
donors.
Dallas State Representative Rafael
Anchia was a guest speaker at the reception.
Rep. Anchia was appreciative of Equality Texas'
effectiveness in the most recent legislative session, noting our
growing clout as a legitimate lobbying force. Our joint
efforts in support of Rep. Anchia's bill for accurate birth
certificates (HB2080) produced what Rep. Lois Kolkhorst
described as "one of the best hearings she had ever
seen."
Phone Bank
for Annise Parker
Equality Texas is asking
its members to spend their time and resources to elect
Annise Parker as the first openly lesbian mayor of Houston and
the first openly LGBT mayor of our nation's fourth largest
city. Annise Parker's election to office is a critical
battle that must be won in order to advance equality in Houston
and in Texas.
Sign up to phone bank on October
4th!
Join us for phone banking this Sunday, October
4th to mobilize supporters, update them with new information and
encourage them to volunteer at events. Training will be provided for shifts from 1pm
to 3pm, or 3pm to 5pm.
Click
here for more information and to sign up!
If you live in Houston, volunteer phone banks are open each
Tuesday and Thursday from 6 to 9pm.
CLICK HERE for 6 Easy Ways to Get
Involved.
News from Other Statewide Equality
Groups |
Maine: You Can
Help Protect Marriage Equality
In May, Maine
became the fifth state in the country to win marriage for
same-sex couples. Within days of this victory, the
opposition launched a People's Veto campaign - modeled after
California's Prop 8 - to take away the right of same-sex couples
to marry. Maine is now ground zero in the national fight
for marriage equality.
To win, we
need your help. Please consider a Volunteer-Vacation, where you'll
have the opportunity to volunteer full-time with the
No on 1 campaign to protect marriage at the ballot
box. This is a 1 or 2 week structured program offering an
intensive, hands-on chance to hone your campaign skills.
Washington: Domestic Partnerships Under
Attack
This
spring, Governor Gregoire signed the 2009 Domestic Partnership
Expansion Bill, completing the Domestic Partnership System in
Washington State, giving all couples in Washington State equal
protection under the law. Opponents of the domestic
partnership law are seeking to repeal it through a
referendum. Referendum 71 would ask voters whether the
law should be approved or rejected. A vote to
“APPROVE” keeps the law so that all families will
have these protections in all parts of the
state.
Washington residents should call Equal
Rights Washington at (206) 324-2570 to volunteer to help
preserve the Domestic Partnership law. For more
information, visit the Washington Families Standing Together
website.
Michigan: Defending Discrimination
Protections
In July, City Commissioners in Kalamazoo,
Michigan passed an ordinance prohibiting discrimination based on
sexual orientation or gender identity in employment, housing,
and public accommodations in the city. Anti-equality forces
immediately challenged the law and submitted 1,624 signatures to
put the issue on the ballot, suspending the law until election
time.
Equality is not equality unless it’s equality for all.
The right-wing continues to demonize transgender people and to
lie to uninformed voters. We need to stop them everywhere. We
need to stop them in Kalamazoo. Visit the One
Kalamazoo website to learn more. To find out how you
can get involved, click
here.
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