We already knew that Texas State Board of Education member Ken “Cat-Dog” Mercer, R-San Antonio, arrogantly questions the religious faith of people who oppose teaching public school students discredited creationist arguments against evolution in their science classrooms. Now we see that Mercer also has no problem using fear and hate to promote discrimination.
Below is a vicious email he sent out today attacking a proposed San Antonio ordinance adding protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people as well as military veterans to the city’s policies barring discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations. The San Antonio City Council is scheduled to vote on the proposed nondiscrimination ordinance tomorrow (September 5). You still have time to urge council members to vote for the ordinance. A list of email addresses for council members is at the bottom of this post.
Not surprisingly, Mercer’s email includes many gross distortions and mistruths. He suggests, for example, that the proposed ordinance would bar people who support “traditional values” (as he sees them) from serving in city government. He claims that the ordinance would force businesses to “violate state law.” He suggests that businesses could become victims of “political distortion” if they don’t donate to LGBT groups. Those and so many other outrageous claims in Mercer’s email are simply untrue.
But some of Mercer’s claims are downright obscene, particularly when he suggests that the ordinance endangers children and that its backers support pedophilia: “Child molesters and sexual deviants will love this ordinance.”
That Mercer would stoop so low and promote this kind of fear-mongering and hatefulness should outrage San Antonians and other Texans who agree that all people, regardless of sexual orientation, should be treated fairly and equally. People shouldn’t lose their jobs or homes or be denied services simply because of who they are or whom they love.
But Mercer disagrees. Like at least one San Antonio City Council member, he wants San Antonio to defend ignorance, prejudice and discrimination. Here’s his hateful email:
The Culture War – San Antonio at Ground Zero
The City Council of San Antonio, led by Councilman Diego Bernal and supported by Mayor Julian Castro, will vote on a “comprehensive and expanded non-discrimination policy” to add “sexual orientation, gender identity and veteran status” as protected classes.
Adding “veteran status” is a shameful political tactic to imply a vote against the ordinance is a vote against veterans. Our military families should be outraged.
Of particular concern, the non-discrimination ordinance, know as NDO, includes the new politically correct term “gender identity.” Gender identity means “a gender-related identity, appearance, expression or behavior of an individual, regardless of the individual’s assigned sex at birth.”
Eighteen months ago, Liberty Counsel defended Natalie Johnson, a young African-American female employee of a San Antonio Macy’s store. She was terminated for refusing to allow a male to have continued access to a female dressing room. Even though Johnson cited her religious beliefs and values, Macy’s management claimed she discriminated against the biological male customer on the basis of gender identity.
Do city council members believe: “If he says he is woman, he is a woman and should be allowed access to female-only facilities?” If the NDO passes, child molesters and sexual deviants will love this ordinance.
By the way, there is a new gender identity being promoted by the far left defined as Minor Attracted Persons (MAP). MAP supporters believe it is politically incorrect to use terms such as “child molester,” “pedophile,” “child predator,” or “pervert.” Instead MAP’s goal is to normalize and decriminalize pedophilia. May God help our children.
On August 13, 2013, Gov. Jerry Brown (D-California) signed legislation requiring public schools to allow male students, from pre-K to high school, to use female bathrooms, showers, locker rooms, and other facilities based on their “gender identity” and not biological sex.
Mayor Castro and Councilman Bernal, is this the future education agenda for San Antonio?
If the ordinance passes, San Antonio will have to issue a special “travel advisory” to parents of junior-high daughters who come here to participate in volleyball or basketball tournaments:
“Warning: Biological males with gender identify issues will be
allowed in the girls’ bathroom, locker rooms, and/or showers.”Finally, this NDO is unconstitutional, violating both the First Amendment of the United States’ Constitution and the Texas Religious Freedom Act. It will force Christian employers and employees to violate both their conscience and State law, will lead to political extortion of businesses, and is a clear and purposeful “political spit in the eye” of men and women of faith.
As a Member of the 2003 Texas House, I voted for the Defense of Marriage Act for Texas. DOMA defines marriage as between one man and one woman. Two years later 76% of Bexar County and of Texas voted for a Constitutional DOMA amendment to protect our state from political liberals who might refuse to defend and recognize traditional marriage.
If City Council wants to change the Constitution, then have the political courage to let the people vote. Either that or we need to change our city government’s charter to “The People’s Republic of Bexar County.”
Of course some politicians claim this new ordinance will help attract qualified applicants for jobs. Please remind our elected officials that our problem is not the number of qualified applicants for jobs — but the number of jobs for qualified applicants.
The NDO illegally forces San Antonio businesses to violate State law. It includes “every business within the city” and specifically lists “all taverns, hotels, motels, apartments hotels, apartment houses…hospitals, theaters, motion picture houses, museums… every cafe, cafeteria, coffee shop, sandwich shop, snack bar, supper club, soda fountain, soft drink or ice cream parlor, luncheonette…”
The NDO read, “No person shall be appointed to a position if the City Council finds that such person has, prior to such proposed appointment, engaged in discrimination or demonstrated a bias, by word or deed…”
The words to the NDO may change, but the all important original intent is perfectly clear.
If the NDO passes, what happens if a business or an employee political action committee supports candidates such as U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, Attorney General Greg Abbott or State Senator Donna Campbell? Each opposes same-sex marriage and this ordinance.
Could business support of traditional values candidates lead to a denial of city contracts? Will candidates with traditional values even be allowed to run for office?
What if you attend a church led by one of the over 300 Hispanic and African-American leaders who have publicly opposed the NDO?
What about future political extortion – denying contracts to businesses who fail to “donate” to LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) organizations? Remember Chick-fil-A?
Again, the words of the NDO may change, but the original intent is clear; it is terribly discriminatory, criminalizing religious beliefs. This is a direct attack on religion and upon men and women of faith who believe in traditional marriage who, under this ordinance, would be branded as “haters.”
The NDO is an outrageous attack on religious freedom – a freedom which is guaranteed by our United States Constitution. Let me close with this statement from United States Senator Ted Cruz:
“Any attempt to bar an individual from public service based on a personal religious conviction is contrary to the liberties guaranteed us under our Constitution and should be emphatically opposed. It is encouraging to see so many Texans standing up to defend their religious freedoms in light of the misguided proposal put forth by the local city council.”
Have you had enough of politicians and other extremists who promote hate and bigotry? Contact San Antonio City Council members and ask them to vote for protecting LGBT people and veterans from discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations:
Mayor Castro mayorjuliancastro@sanantonio.
Diego Bernal [email protected]
Ivy Taylor [email protected]
Rebecca Viagran [email protected]
Rey Saldana [email protected]
Shirley Gonzales [email protected]
Ray Lopez [email protected]
Cris Medina [email protected]
Ron Nirenberg [email protected]
Elisa Chan [email protected]
Carlton Soules [email protected]
HEY KEN,.
King James was gay! Oops…
Put that in your interpretation of scripture which conveniently leaves out basics like
“love they neighbor”.
We’ll just ignore that one as it doesn’t fit
your views.
You’ll attract some new “fans” among those who have read the US Constitution and have thought about what it says.
Finally. Ken, are you saying the US military attracts pedophiles? Wonder how many mil members saw that ! Nice.
It is sad when someone’s narrow mind leads their thoughts right into the gutter. Mr. Mercer is a prime example.
The sad thing about this is that San Antonio keeps electing Mr. Mercer to the Texas Education Board where he can spew his garbage (illogical opinions) out and effect all the children of Texas!
“She was terminated for refusing to allow a male to have continued access to a female dressing room.”
Well… ol’ cat-dog Mercer posits another occluded gem of his epic fail in comprehension of biology and genetics- as he asserts that dressing rooms have gender. Tell us, cat-dog, is dressing room gender “assigned at birth”? And if “cat-dog insists on only entering “male” dressing rooms, we must conclude (using his “logic”) that he’s gay… I mean, these are multiple-occupant dressing rooms you’re referring to, right K-K-K-Ken? Because otherwise, you’re entire argument is asinine. And the person who was fired for imposing an arbitrary, non-company policy on a customer- why is this ex-employee’s race relevant to your screed? Is it because liberals are such minority hating racists, while reactionaries such as yourself are so open-minded about the differences in human beings?
Uh-huh!
-SBOE member Ken “Cat-Dog” Mercer- shackling the education of Texas children with his own phobias since 2010.