Senate Resolution 1028 (click to enlarge) |
The Texas Legislature will leave town when the session concludes this Monday. Going into the session, TFN and our allies knew we would be on the defensive on several issues. This was especially true on LGBT rights because of the impending U.S. Supreme Court decision, expected next month, that could once and for all bring the freedom to marry to Texas and the handful of other states where it still isn’t legal.
We got what we expected. Far-right lawmakers filed more than 20 anti-LGBT bills designed specifically to discriminate. According to some reports, that was a record number for any state legislature in any one year. Most of the bills, though, appear dead. It now looks like all the anti-equality crowd will be able to claim as a victory is the so-called “Pastor Protection” bill, which basically just re-states existing law.
That’s it, nothing more.
But when folks know they’re going to lose, they do things. They look for — ahem — moral victories they can find comfort in. They also may throw a Hail Mary or two down the field. That’s basically what the Texas Senate did last night, with 21 senators declaring they’re comfortable being on the wrong side of history and trading all those anti-LGBT bills for a toothless resolution.
Sponsored by state Sen. Kelly Hancock, R-North Richland Hills, and with the support of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the Senate late Wednesday passed a resolution declaring that marriage is between one man and one woman. The resolution is non-binding. As our friends at Equality Texas point out, last night’s resolution joins others passed this session, including one declaring May 7 as Salad Day and another declaring May 26 as John Wayne Day.
Having no force of law and with anti-LGBT bills dead for the session, this was just a petty swipe at LGBT Texans. #txlege
— Tx Freedom Network (@TFN) May 28, 2015
So, practically speaking, the Senate resolution is no biggie. But it was one final indignity inflicted on LGBT families by legislators who recognized that their anti-LGBT crusade is coming to an end as quickly as the legislative session.
What should one expect when Texas already has an Abbot, we just need to start referring to his Lt. Gov. side-kick as Costello and Texas would have the ideal comedic pair to suit what they’re doing to Texas’ reputation in the real world. “Abbbbboooooott”
What? We already have “Costello” but it is spelled “Gohmert”. So:
NOW SHOWING!
ABBOT AND COSTELLO DOES TEXAS!
Just saying!
Symbolic politics – but potentially devastating for the citizens of the state. Shame on you Rethugs.
(Taps playing in the background)
Texans do not all agree with the bigots in Austin.
They have turned this once great state into a laughing stock.
The real shame of it all is that they will not even look at the root cause of LGBT people. A portion of the brain is dedicated to sexuality and is fixed during gestation. There is no choice to what our LGBT brothers and sisters do. They cannot help it, period.
The challenge is for the people who vote those miserable bigots is to STOP electing those sub-humans to the legislature.
I wish them the worst possible lives possible. Those who hate will pay for being such nasty people.
With this legislative session coming to an end, I would like to share a few things for which I am thankful. First and foremost, I am thankful we have a part time legislature so that these right wing idiots can only attempt to enact laws that are harmful to a large number of my fellow Texans and cause us to be the laughing stock of the Union every two years. Second, I’m thankful for all the people involved who watched all of these horrible bills and notified us when to contact our representatives so the bills could be defeated. Third, I’m thankful for all those who post on websites such as this so that I know I’m not alone although I live in a city where the populas supports these idiots. Fourth, I’m thankful my Senator, Brian Birdwell, signed his name to this piece of shit resolution thereby saving me time in researching the types of bills he supported and those he
didn’t. And lastly, I’m thankful this mess is over…at least for now.
Dang, I missed Salad Day.
How did I let that happen?
I think we have to be honest here. If a vast majority of the voting public in Texas is for LGBTQ people and their civil rights, these nutball leaders would not be in office.
Some majority in Texas elects these people over,and over, and over again. Therefore, what the leaders say and do reflects the opinion of some voting majority in Texas. If they do not pander to this majority, no matter what their true feelings might be in the quiet inner sanctum of their homes, they will get kicked out of office in the next election.
If anyone is to blame for all of this unChrist-like behavior, I would put it squarely on the shoulders of the Southern Baptist Convention in Texas, the leaders of other Christian fundamentalist churches, and the members of their congregations whose hearts have been hardened against a suffering minority looking for nothing more than a few civil rights in a nation that believes in such things.
The thing I cannot understand is why the vast number of Texans who are not members of these fundie churches sit on their hind ends and say nothing and do nothing about the issues of the day. Why do they roll over and play dead?