If you’re not following Houston attorney Kris Banks on Twitter, you missed a fascinating, firsthand account from the religious-right rally against the proposed Houston Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO) this evening (Sunday, May 18). The proposed HERO would bar discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations based on race, gender, religion, military status, sexual orientation, gender identity and a number of other protected characteristics. The anti-HERO rally was promoted by the right-wing Houston Area Pastor Council. Banks estimated that about 300 attended the event at Grace Community Church.
Many of the rally’s speakers appear to be the same ones who railed against the proposed ordinance before last week’s Houston City Council meeting. (Grace pastor Becky Riggle also spoke this evening, but it appears she didn’t repeat her claim that religious freedom should permit someone to discriminate against Jews as well as LGBT people. Her husband, Steve Riggle, also spoke. He’s the Riggle noted in one of the tweets below.)
Tonight’s rally seethed with hate and contempt for LGBT people. According to Banks’ tweets, speakers apparently decided that launching personal attacks on Mayor Annise Parker and ridiculing transgender people are the way to block passage of the HERO. A few of Banks’ tweets:
Dave Welch: Mayor Parker is a lesbian because she accepted a lie about herself and was disappointed with men #herohaters
— Kris Banks (@KrisBanks) May 19, 2014
Dave Welch points out that LGBT people are a minority. Why should they have rights? #herohaters — Kris Banks (@KrisBanks) May 19, 2014
People laughing about transgender people. Such nice folks, these people #herohaters
— Kris Banks (@KrisBanks) May 18, 2014
Riggle: Would mayor be willing to include Christians as a protected class? (They are. HERO covers religion) #herohaters — Kris Banks (@KrisBanks) May 19, 2014
Up on the big screens at the rally. Very classy #herohaters pic.twitter.com/WOWf74d4JO — Kris Banks (@KrisBanks) May 18, 2014
CM Kubosh says God put him on Council to fight this ordinance #herohaters — Kris Banks (@KrisBanks) May 18, 2014
CM Kubosh: “I don’t see this as a civil rights issue.” #herohaters — Kris Banks (@KrisBanks) May 18, 2014
You can follow Banks on Twitter here.
