State Rep. Coleman files LGBTQ omnibus bill
Texas state Rep. Garnet F. Coleman, D-Houston, a longtime ally of the LGBTQ community, today (Tuesday, Feb. 23) filed legislation that would protect LGBTQ Texans from discrimination.
HB 2069 would “address a wide range of issues impacting the LGBTQ community,” according to a press release from Coleman’s office. “Rep. Coleman has successfully pushed policies to become law including protections for sexual preference in the James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Act, and suicide prevention training in schools. Regrettably, many of the LGBTQ policies Rep. Coleman has championed have yet to be passed in the Texas Legislature. This omnibus bill consolidates several important pieces of legislation that he has previously worked on.”
Included in the omnibus bill are elements proposing a constitutional amendment to repeal the current constitutional provision defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman (the amendment approved by Texas voters in 2005 bans recognition of marriage equality and remains part of the Texas Constitution even though the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2015 ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges makes it a moot point); uniformizing and streamlining court procedures for change of name and gender marker on state-issued Ids; including protection for transgender individuals in the Texas Hate Crimes Law; repealing the Texas sodomy law, which was deemed unconstitutional by theU.S. Supreme Court’s 2004 ruling in Lawrence v. Texas, but which is still listed as a criminal offense in the Texas Penal Code; prohibiting discrimination against or harassment of a public school employee or student on the basis of sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression; comprehensive employment non-discrimination measures prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression in employment, labor organization membership, and including LGBTQ people in Texas’ “Romeo and Juliet” law.
Coleman said, “I have filed numerous bills to protect the LGBTQ community and fought against even more bad policies and bills aimed to marginalize and discriminate against LGBTQ individuals. Despite many of my bills to protect LGBTQ rights failing to pass in the Texas Legislature, I believe it is important to continue to bring attention to these issues to raise the awareness of influential parties; Supreme Court justices read newspapers, too.”
Read more: https://dallasvoice.com/state-rep-coleman-files-lgbtq-omnibus-bill/
