Houston Passes “HERO” Equal Rights Ordinance
Yesterday, by a 11-6 margin, the Houston City Council passed the Equal Rights Ordinance after a month of contentious hearings and a marathon session that included public comments from over 200 citizens and many of the council members, reports TransGriot.
“It may have been one small step in the human rights evolution for many cis and straight Houstonians, but for those of us in LGBT Houston, it was a giant leap in our human rights 30 years in the making,” writers trans blogger and advocate Monica Roberts.
The ordinance bans discrimination based on sex, race, age, and religion, and expands anti-bias protections for LGBT residents. It applies to private businesses, housing, city employment and city contracting. Churches are exempt.
Officials have stated that Houston is the only major metropolitan city in the country that didn’t prohibit discrimination by businesses such as restaurants, bars and hotels.
Roberts represents a slew of advocates on the ground that put in the ”sweat equity,” as she describes it, to make the passage happen.







Submit a Comment