Last night's election was a civics lesson for Houstonians, especially young Houstonians. Plenty of Millennials of my acquaintance were all over Facebook urging their friends to vote for Propsition 1. Some were actually out in the community, canvassing with Houston Unites. Good for them. But it clearly wasn't enough. Final score (not yet certified at this time): Yes 100,427 (39.03%) No 156,882 (60.97%) I did some canvassing for Houston Unites myself, but knocking on doors and making those automated phone calls produced a frustratingly small number of conversations. Even if I had kept it up, my efforts would not have convinced 30,000 people to change their votes from No to Yes, much less persuaded 57,000 non-voters to vote. Supporters of the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance may not have had time to learn the lesson yet. There is a mighty load, mostly emotional, to process first. However, I believe that the lesson goes something like this:
But there's more to it than that. Three-fifths of the voters who voted said No. The No voters included people in one or more of the 15 protected classes mentioned in the ordinance, but were scared of Perverts in the Ladies Room. Representatives of the No vote should also be invited to the table. If they are truly opposed to equal rights for certain protected classes, it will show in the negotiations. Take out any possible mention of public lavatories, and see if—and to what—the opponents still object. Show the bigots for what they are, and show the people how the big-money bigots have used them. "See? It's not about bathrooms. It was never about bathrooms. It was about spreading fear among the masses so that white, Christian, cisgender folks can maintain their dominance in American society." Comments are closed.
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Blogging Sporadically since 2014Here you will find political campaign-related entries, as well as some about my literature, Houston underground arts, peace & justice, urban cycling, soccer, alt-religion, and other topics. Categories
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