Saturday, March 10, 2007

Speaking of Lawrence v. Texas...

cross posted at Burnt Orange Report

Yesterday I reported on Patricia M. Logue's appointment as a judge. Logue was one of the lead attorneys in the Lawrence v. Texas case. Her victory has been extremely important to our community. In many ways, the Lawrence verdict has changed the trajectory of our fight for equality. I think it's amazing that all that progress can be traced right back here to Texas. That's one reason why the Houston GLBT Political Caucus is so adamant that our own Houston Pride parade be celebrated in June, the month the ruling was handed down.

It was such an important moment, but did you know that Texas's sodomy law is still on the books? Of course, the U.S. Supreme Court's decision has rendered it completely unenforceable, but the Republican leadership in our legislature has let the law stand, simply out of spite and hatred for our community. Thankfully, State Representative Garnet Coleman has filed a bill to finally repeal Texas's hollow, hateful sodomy law.

HB1326:

[(2) state that homosexual conduct is not an acceptable lifestyle and is a criminal offense under Section 21.06, Penal Code].
[(8) emphasis, provided in a factual manner and from a public health perspective, that homosexuality is not a lifestyle acceptable to the general public and that homosexual conduct is a criminal offense under Section 21.06, Penal Code].

Congratulations, Patricia Logue! Your service to our community will never be forgotten. And thank you, Representative Coleman, for continually fighting for us in the Texas House.

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