By
Cristan Williams
@cristanwilliams
The Houston Area Pastors Council (HPAC), an organization led by men who sexually harassed women (and who tried to misrepresent the sexual abuse to the public), has been working to overturn broad equality in Houston, Texas. The Harris County DA is investigating a HPAC representative for engaging in voter fraud while working to overturn the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO). The investigation comes after the TransAdvocate caught the representative on tape attempting to violate Texas Election laws.
The Houston Equal Rights Ordinance protects 15 separate classes. They are:
- Sex
- Race
- Color
- Ethnicity
- National Origin
- Age
- Familial Status
- Marital Status
- Military Status
- Religion
- Disability
- Sexual Orientation
- Genetic Information
- Gender Identity
- Pregnancy
Many people in Houston supported the effort to strip equal rights protections from the above classes. Here are several Houstonians who do not want these groups to have equal rights:
If you’d like to search through these public records, click here.
Houston equality ordinance passed City Council, 11 to 6 on May 28, 2014. Those voting against equality were:
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Cristan Williams is a trans historian and pioneer in addressing the practical needs of underserved communities. She started the first trans homeless shelter in Texas and co-founded the first federally funded housing-first homeless program, pioneered affordable health care for trans people in the Houston area, won the right for trans people to change their gender on Texas ID prior to surgery, started numerous trans social service programs and founded the Transgender Center as well as the Transgender Archives. She has published short stories, academic chapters and papers, and numerous articles for both print and digital magazines. She received numerous awards for her advocacy and has presented at universities throughout the nation, served on several governmental committees and CBO boards, is the Editor of the TransAdvocate, and is a founding board member of the Transgender Foundation of America and the Bee Busy Wellness Center.
