Transgender advocates lament backlash against failed Houston equal rights bill

[Eugene]

Source: The Guardian

Transgender advocates lament backlash against failed Houston equal rights bill

Tom Dart in Houston and Molly Redden in Washington
Wednesday 4 November 2015 22.02 GMT

In 2015, in America’s fourth-largest city and one of its most diverse, backing the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance might have seemed an obvious choice.

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And then the ballots were counted. With the country watching, Houston voters overwhelmingly decided to reject Hero on Tuesday night, dealing LGBT rights campaigners their first big setback since marriage equality was won nationwide this past summer and underlining that resistance from the religious right remains strong in some parts of the US.

“It’s not surprising to see backlash,” said Jennifer Levi, director of the Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders’ transgender rights project. “It’s hugely disappointing, but it’s part of what happens when you have discussions about marginalised groups. This fight may have sharpened the opposition, but it expanded the range of support for transgender equality.”

The pro-Hero campaign relied on logic and reasonableness, which as a strategy turned out to be no match for a stark yet spurious slogan from opponents: “No men in women’s bathrooms.”

This line, peddled endlessly and rooted in groundless suspicion of transgender people, sought to scare voters into believing that because of the reference to gender identity, a broad civil rights bill was in essence a license for sexual predators to attack women in bathrooms.

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Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/nov/04/houston-equal-rights-ordinance-transgender-lgbt-discrimination

[LostOne4Ever]

1. What an utter tragedy

[font style="font-family:'Georgia','Baskerville Old Face','Helvetica',fantasy;" size=4 color=teal]And the oppositions hateful slogan is so stupid too.

Harrassment is still illegal and if a predator is willing to pretend to be trans just to attack people what is to keep them from pretending to be a FAAB woman, or simply going into there when no one is looking and not risk getting beaten up for being trans?

This whole thing just proves that republicans and conservatives are hate filled bigots!

And sadly so is 61% of Houston...

DU's crying emoji doesn't do justice to the way I feel:

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[MillennialDem]

3. After the bill passed, it makes it easier. A man who wants to predate can just go into the

women's bathroom and say he's an FTM. He wouldn't even need to get dolled up and say he's an MTF.

(I know both assertion are ridiculous).

[tonekat]

2. It Doesn't Speak Well of Houstonians

Who responded to a crude, bumper sticker of a campaign.