as you may already know, the Texas legislature meets for only 140 days on odd numbered years. There are only 26 days left in this session which means, there are 26 days to get pro-LGBT legislation passed. While that may not seem like a lot of time, there is still a lot of business that can be done.

Texas is one of the many states where it is still perfectly legal (and common practice) to fire someone, refuse to hire someone, or deny someone an otherwise deserved promotion based solely on their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. We have a good chance to change that this session with “The Fair Employment Act” (SB 237).

We are certain that we can secure job protections but we need your help in doing so. There are three things that you can do to ensure that this bill passes and if you do all three, the chances of passing this bill are even greater. They are outlined in the following link which you can also use to share with your friends so that they can help make job protections in Texas a reality! 

Please visit http://getequaltx.org/2013/04/urgent-action-the-fair-employment-act/ to take action!

If you are a twitter user, please be sure to check out the #SB237NOW hashtag over the next few days to see how others are getting involved!

Yours in equality! 
The GetEQUAL TX Team

GetOUT! GetACTIVE! GetEQUAL!

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as you may already know, the Texas legislature meets for only 140 days on odd numbered years. There are only 26 days left in this session which means, there are 26 days to get pro-LGBT legislation passed. While that may not seem like a lot of time, there is still a lot of business that can be done.

Texas is one of the many states where it is still perfectly legal (and common practice) to fire someone, refuse to hire someone, or deny someone an otherwise deserved promotion based solely on their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. We have a good chance to change that this session with “The Fair Employment Act” (SB 237).

We are certain that we can secure job protections but we need your help in doing so. There are three things that you can do to ensure that this bill passes and if you do all three, the chances of passing this bill are even greater.

Share this page and this information with all of your friends so that they can help make this happen.

Action item 1:
The bill is currently held up in the Committee on Economic Development. We have 3 of the four “yes” votes required to get it out of committee. We need to convince at least one of the remaining four to vote yes and to get it out of committee as soon as possible.
Whether you’ve called before or not, please make the call to the following senators urging them to vote yes on SB 237.

Sen. Bob Deuell – 512.463.0102
Sen. Brian Birdwell – 512.463.0122
Sen. Kelly Hancock – 512.463.0109
Sen. Troy Fraser – 512.463.0124

Action Item 2: 
Brave activists will be engaging in non-violent civil disobedient action which could lead to arrest. We will need your help for legal fees and bail. Please consider donating what you can at http://www.getequaltx.org/donate

Action Item 3:
Sign the petition urging these senators to vote this out of committee. This petition will email the four senators directly.

First, let me thank you for all of the amazing work that you have been doing. Because of you, this session has seen an unprecedented number of pro-LGBT legislation being filed in the Texas legislature. 

I believe, wholeheartedly, that this is all happening because of the amazing time and effort that we have all put into the fight for equality together. Whether you are transgender, bisexual, lesbian, gay, or an ally to the community, you have let your voice be heard so loudly that they could not help but listen. 

There are now only 41 days left in this legislative session and the next session isn't until 2015. This means, we have 41 days to make history again. 

Here are the facts: 

- An estimated 431,000 members of the Texas workforce identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender.

- 26% of transgender Texans report being fired solely based on their gender identity.

- 12% of lesbian and gay Texans report being fired because of their sexual orientation.

- 37% of gay and lesbian Texans report being harassed at work due to their sexual orientation.

For members of the LGBT community, these statistics are more than just numbers, these statistics represent our lives. They are the very reason that many of us spend our work experience hidden in closets, changing pronouns in conversation, and generally looking over our shoulder hoping that nobody finds out our secrets lest our secret drive us to joblessness in a time when jobs are scarce. This is why we need your help to secure job protections. 

Earlier this session, Sen. Leticia Van De Putte of San Antonio filed SB 237 entitled "The Fair Employment Act". This bill would make it against the law to fire, refuse to hire, refuse to promote, or otherwise discriminate against someone solely on the basis of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. 

This bill is currently held up in the Committee on Economic Development with only 2 (of the required 4) guaranteed votes. Those voting "yes" on this bill are both co-authors, Sen. Wendy Davis and Sen. Kirk Watson. 

You can help ensure that this bill passes by signing the petition urging the remaining 5 senators to co-author and vote for the bill. That petition can be found at http://getequaltx.org/2013/04/we-need-lgbt-workplace-protection/. Also, ensure that you share this petition with all of your friends so that they can sign it!

You will also find the phone numbers for those senators. Once you sign the petition (which is emailed directly to them upon submit) feel free to call each of them, every day if you wish, to remind them of the need for this bill. Each call averages 2 minutes. 

If the committee continues to stall we will be forced to engage in direct, non-violent civil disobedient, action. Plans for these high profile and high risk action are already in the works and we do need some monetary help for supplies and possibly bail. Please consider a donation to help offset these costs at http://getequaltx.org/donate/

Thank you so much for your continued dedication to the push for equality! 

GetOUT! GetACTIVE! GetEQUAL!

In order to win, we will need your help to do so!

Employment Discrimination Statistics:

- An estimated 431,000 members of the Texas workforce identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender.
- 26% of transgender Texans report being fired solely based on their gender identity.
- 12% of lesbian and gay Texans report being fired because of their sexual orientation.
- 37% of gay and lesbian Texans report being harassed at work due to their sexual orientation .

We can and we must work together to change this. Please, sign the petition below urging the senate committee on economic development to move forward with this bill.
In addition, call the committee members every day to remind them that this issue is urgent and that we need our job protections!

These are the Senators that are currently voting “no” on the bill. This petition will be emailed directly to them. It will also help tremendously if you call each of them once a day to re-iterate the need for this bill to pass.

Sen. Bob Deuell – Chair
(R-Greenville)
512.463.0102

Sen. Brian Birdwell
(R-Granbury)
512.463.0122

Sen. Kelly Hancock
(R-N.Richland Hills)
512.463.0109

Sen. Troy Fraser
(R-Horseshoe Bay)
512.463.0124

Lastly: In order to ensure that this bill passes, we will be engaging in non-violent civil disobedient action which holds a high risk for arrest. Please consider donating so that the activists engaged in these actions will be able to bailed out of jail quickly and get home to their families. http://getequaltx.org/donate/

It is a matter of urgency that the Senate Committee on Economic Development vote and pass Senate Bill 237 “The Fair Employment Act”.

Currently, it is legal in Texas to fire, refuse to hire, refuse to promote, or otherwise discriminate against someone solely based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.

“My government’s duty is to protect me, and preserve my rights, and secure this nation” ~ Sen. Brian Birdwell
If you agree with this statement, as I do, then I know that a bill that was designed to do just that, would be something that you would be championing.

The facts are as follows:
- An estimated 431,000 members of the Texas workforce identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender.
- 26% of transgender Texans report being fired solely based on their gender identity.
- 12% of lesbian and gay Texans report being fired because of their sexual orientation.
- 37% of gay and lesbian Texans report being harassed at work due to their sexual orientation.

Senate Bill 237 would do a great deal to help those Texans who are effected by the lack of protection provided in our law by giving the Texas Workforce Commission the ability to file and investigate discrimination claims based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

You have within your power to help fix the problem and I am simply asking you to use it by doing the following:
- sign on as co-author to the bill
- urge the committee to take a vote and get this bill to the senate floor

Thank you for your time and service to the state of Texas and thank you, in advance, for your support of this bill.

]]> http://getequaltx.org/2013/04/dallas-area-rapid-transit-dart-board-meeting/feed/ 0 http://getequaltx.org/2013/04/help-get-the-fair-employment-act-to-pass/ http://getequaltx.org/2013/04/help-get-the-fair-employment-act-to-pass/#comments Tue, 09 Apr 2013 22:15:30 +0000 mdiviesti http://getequaltx.org/?p=206 Continue Reading →]]>

Help Make History in Texas!

Dear friends,
make no mistake about it, history has already been made in Texas this session. An unprecedented number of bills have been filed in the Texas Legislature that are pro-LGBT. Additionally, for the first time in Texas history, “The Fair Employment Act” has actually had a committee hearing.

We have an opportunity here to make history again but it will take all of us working together to make that happen. We need “The Fair Employment Act” to get out of committee, onto the floor, and ultimately to pass this session and become law.

What is “The Fair Employment Act”? I’m glad you asked. Currently Texas is one of several states in which you are legally allowed to be fired, denied employment, or otherwise discriminated against in the workplace without haveing any legal leverage. “The Fair Employment Act” (Senate Bill 237, SB237) would provide legal leverage to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) persons who suffer from discrimination in the workplace.

Imagine one day, you log into facebook and you ‘like’ a pro-equality post by a friend and your boss infers from that post that you are a member of the LGBT community. The next day, you are fired and your boss tells you that it’s because they think that you are gay. Currently, the only thing you can do is to clean out your desk and start looking for a new job. This bill aims to change that.

The Fair Employment Act would not allow anyone to sue their employer for employment discrimination. It would allow employees who experience employment discrimination to lodge a complaint with the Texas Workforce Commission, which would then investigate.

Employment Discrimination Statistics:

- An estimated 431,000 members of the Texas workforce identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender.
- 26% of transgender Texans report being fired solely based on their gender identity.
- 12% of lesbian and gay Texans report being fired because of their sexual orientation.
- 37% of gay and lesbian Texans report being harassed at work due to their sexual orientation .

The Action: 

Right now, the bill is stuck in Senate Committee on Economic Development. At least 2 of the 7 members of the committee are ready to vote “yes”. We only need to convince 2 more Senators on that committee to vote for the bill. We urge you to call the 5 members who are not yet “yes” votes and urge them to support it.

Script: 

Here is a suggested script which you can modify to fit your message.

As a Texan, I believe that nobody should be fired from their job or denied employment for anything other than how well they perform their job duties. I agree with the 76% of Texans who support passage of SB237 and I am asking that you do everything in your power to make it law THIS SESSION.

If you are a business owner, a veteran, or a constituent you should also ensure that you let them know that but this call is not limited to those who fit in those categories.

Who to call:

Currently, these are the 5 senators that we need to call:

Sen. Bob Deuell – Chair

(R-Greenville)
512.463.0102

  Sen. Kevin Eltife

(R-Tyler)
512.463.0101

 Sen. Brian Birdwell

(R-Granbury)
512.463.0122

 Sen. Kelly Hancock

 (R-N.Richland Hills)
512.463.0109

 Sen. Troy Fraser

 (R-Horseshoe Bay)
512.463.0124

GetOUT! GetACTIVE! GetEQUAL!

Dear Visitor,

first I would like to apologize for not having responded to you directly and right away. As you are probably well aware, we are all volunteers which means we are balancing activism with jobs, school, and life in general. 

It has been really busy in Texas over the past few months with our legislature in session and, I've been meaning to get in contact with everyone who has filled out the form.

Due to the overwhelming response to the call to join the movement, and the inability to get with everyone one on one in an efficient way, I would like to invite you to join us on a conference call. There, we will be discussing what GetEQUAL TX is all about. 

The call will begin on Monday, April 8th at 8PM

You can join that call at the following website https://apps.calliflower.com/conf/show/452146 

Please note that, if you create a free account with calliflower, you will be able to log in and interact via the chat application as well. Some people like using the chat area if they have quick questions or comments but do not want to interrupt the current conversation.

This will be a great opportunity to learn more about who we are, what we do, and how you can use your talents to organize locally. 

Do not worry, if you are unable to make this call, you and I can still have a one on one conversation and get you plugged into what we are doing. 

This call will be mostly for informational purposes. We will be having a second call next week which will serve as an organizing call. The structure of that call will be very different and geared toward what is going on currently in the state and working out some details regarding actions. You are invited to join that call as well once we work out the time. 

Thanks for your continued work for equality!

GetOUT!

GetACTIVE!

GetEQUAL!

-- 

It has been really busy in Texas over the past few months with our legislature in session and, I've been meaning to get in contact with everyone who has filled out the form.

Due to the overwhelming response to the call to join the movement, and the inability to get with everyone one on one in an efficient way, I would like to invite you to join us on a conference call. There, we will be discussing what GetEQUAL TX is all about. 

The call will begin on Monday, April 8th at 8PM

You can join that call at the following website https://apps.calliflower.com/conf/show/452146 

Please note that, if you create a free account with calliflower, you will be able to log in and interact via the chat application as well. Some people like using the chat area if they have quick questions or comments but do not want to interrupt the current conversation.

This will be a great opportunity to learn more about who we are, what we do, and how you can use your talents to organize locally. 

Do not worry, if you are unable to make this call, you and I can still have a one on one conversation and get you plugged into what we are doing. 

This call will be mostly for informational purposes. We will be having a second call next week which will serve as an organizing call. The structure of that call will be very different and geared toward what is going on currently in the state and working out some details regarding actions. You are invited to join that call as well once we work out the time. 

Thanks for your continued work for equality!

GetOUT!

GetACTIVE!

GetEQUAL!

WE SHOOK THIS NATION!

As one we called out for equality!

As one we stood on the side of LOVE!

As one we entrusted our nation’s highest court with the civil rights of millions of Americans!

Now we await their decision.

Join us on the day the high court issues their rulings on marriage equality! We will gather again in jubilant celebration of a historic victory for the LGBT rights movement or fierce protest if the justices refuse to extend equality!

Wear RED as a symbol of your support for marriage equality!

Bring signs, candles, flags, drums, noise makers!

Weather victory or defeat- we will be there to light the way to justice once again!

www.getequaltx.org

http://www.lighttojustice.org/

To receive details for an event in your area and to be notified when a decision is issued, use the form below.

Name: * First Last E-mail: * Zip Code: * Phone number: - Area Code Phone Number Word Verification: type_submit_reset_6 SubmitReset

As you probably know, San Antonio is the 7th largest city in the country and, yet, it is the only major city in Texas and in the nation that does not provide non-discrimination protections for LGBT people in its municipal code.  CAUSA was formed in June of 2011 by a small group of activists to develop a strategy for amending San Antonio’s current non-discrimination ordinances to include sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression in city employment, public accommodations, housing, city contractors and appointments to boards and commissions.

Shortly after CAUSA began meeting, organizers learned of a “surprise announcement” that the mayor and city manager wanted to include domestic partner benefits in the city budget. CAUSA switched gears to rally support from the community for that initiative and domestic partner benefits were successfully adopted in September, 2011.

CAUSA then refocused on its original goal, to amend the non-discrimination ordinances that exist within the city code to be inclusive of LGBT people. Organizers for CAUSA met with the mayor and City Council Member Diego Bernal, both of whom seemed supportive and dare we say excited to make this great change for the city; however, neither Mayor Castro nor Councilman Bernal, both of whom relied heavily on the LGBT community for donations and support during their elections, have pushed hard enough and the amendments were never placed on the Council agenda. Even after Mayor Castro and Councilman Bernal were presented with a scientific poll showing strong support for this ordinance among a cross-section of San Antonio voters, they continue to fail to take action or give any indication as to when this will be brought before Council.

CAUSA has now expanded its focus and is advocating for a fully-inclusive, citywide Human Rights Ordinance that includes a Human Rights Commission or similar entity to receive and adjudicate claims of arbitrary discrimination brought on the basis of race, color, age, religion, disability, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, veteran’s status, etc. using the current policies and ordinances of Ft. Worth, Dallas and Austin as a springboard.

We cannot stop simply because “our friends” in power seem disinterested, or worse, indifferent, to discrimination.  It is time to develop a plan of action to see that the City of San Antonio provides a recourse for its citizens and visitors when the heavy hand of discrimination strikes.  It is time to GetEQUAL!

Jay Morris
GetEQUAL TX

PS: Parking is difficult around the Esperanza Center, so the best place to park is in the parking lot directly south of the Esperanza Building at 920 San Pedro. The meeting starts at 6 pm, but please arrive early to get a parking space and something to eat.

Please RSVP at this link: http://getequaltx.org/rsvpmaker/planning-meeting-demand-san-antonio-pass-a-human-rights-ordinance/

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GetEQUAL Texas is a state-based chapter of GetEQUAL, based in Texas and fighting for full equality for LGBT Texans. You can follow GetEQUAL Texas on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GetEQUAL.TX or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/getequal_tx.