Houston Pastors Battle Lesbian Mayor's Gay Rights Ordinance

A group of pastors and congregants seeking a repeal for Houston's Equal Rights Ordinance have taken their case to the highest court in Texas. The legislation was adopted last month, and expands anti-bias protections for LGBT Houstonians, as well as protecting discrimination based on race, age and religion.

But religious leaders argue that the legislation grants special privileges (such as using the public restroom consistent with one's gender) to "sexual behavior and gender confusion," as reported by the religious web site Charisma News on August 28.

The No Unequal Rights Coalition said they submitted more than 55,000 signatures on a referendum petition to repeal the legislation, then filed a mandamus appeal to the Texas Supreme Court on August 28, challenging the refusal by a panel of the Fourteenth Court of Appeals that would require the city to follow its City Charter.

"We committed from day one that we would not yield, bow, bend or falter in fighting for the safety of our women and children, our basic constitutional freedoms and the fundamental right to vote," said the Rev. Dave Welch of the Houston Area Pastor Council on behalf of the coalition.

"Neither city officials who conspire to deprive citizens of our voting rights nor judges who can't seem to make a decision based on clear facts will deter our commitment to seek truth and justice. The evidence we have presented to the courts is irrefutable, which is why our mayor and the highest paid city attorney in America have hired at least three major outside law firms and marched 15 of their attorneys into the courtroom to our one."

But Click2Houston reported earlier this month that the petition had fallen short of enough valid signatures to be placed on the ballot.

The mayor's office and City Attorney Dave Feldman said that signatures must be accompanied by a name, address, voter registration number or date of birth, and be signed. Under that rubric, there were only 15,249 valid signatures; the law requires 17,269 signatures to petition for a repeal of the law. But Parker was hardly surprised by the situation.

"I fully expect the petitioners will want to fight this decision at the courthouse," said Parker. "I am confident the courts will agree that the rules set out in our Charter and state law to protect the integrity of the process should be followed and that the results of our review will be upheld. The judicial review will provide additional assurance to the voters that the process has been fair."