Homophobic citizens from a Texas town are on a mission to undo a nondiscrimination ordinance passed last month that protects LGBT people from being unfairly targeted because, well, why not?
The Texas Pastor Council of Plano, TX sent out a press release bragging about a petition it has started to strip the city’s law books of its nondiscrimination ordinance passed last month by the Plano City Council. The ordinance bans unfair treatment in employment, housing and public accommodations based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
According to the Texas Pastor Council, the petition has already garnered 5,500 signatures.
“In spite of the challenges created by the suspect timing of the City Council’s passage of this ordinance, we set a goal to collect twice the minimum number of signatures needed,” a spokesperson for the hate group said in a press release. “We want to send a clear message to Mayor LaRosiliere, and Councilmen Miner, Davidson, Smith, and Downs who all voted for this ordinance. You can ignore the citizens at the City Council meeting, but we will make our voices heard with this petition and next May at the polls.”
How about we take this to the next level?
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Since everything’s bigger in Texas, the proposed measure the hate group hopes to get on this spring’s ballot won’t just nullify Plano’s non-discrimination ordinance. If passed, it will also nullify similar ordinances in Dallas, El Paso, Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio, affecting roughly 7.5 million Texans, more than one-quarter of the state’s entire population.
“We are certain that once Plano citizens realize the City Council has criminalized religious views about sex and gender, the ordinance will be rejected overwhelmingly at the polls,” the spokesperson said. “The citizens of Plano are good and decent and treat one another with respect, so criminalizing the beliefs of our diverse communities of faith does not advance the common good.”
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jwtraveler
So much for protecting freedom.
tdx3fan
“The citizens of Plano are good and decent and treat one another with respect, so criminalizing the beliefs of our diverse communities of faith does not advance the common good.”
Unless you are LGBT or black or female or Muslim or …. I am sure they would welcome discriminating against every single group if they could get away with it. They probably still fly the Stars and Bars at their cult meetings and talk about “Southern Pride.”
Ladbrook
Religious Freedom = Freedom to treat others like animals/slaves/bacteria/criminals if we can find a Bible verse telling us to do so. Not surprisingly, these are the same people condemning Muslims for following the Koran.
Somewhere up in heaven, Orwell is smiling.
Daniel-Reader
Working on the Sabbath is punishable by death according to the bible. Why do these “religous leaders” keep lining their pockets for working on the Sabbath? It is pathetic hypocrisy. Jesus said hypocrites and pharisees can never enter heaven. Such leaders should apologize, return the money, and step away.
enfilmigult
That is some flexible definition of “views.” Apparently you can’t hold a view unless you fire somebody in accordance with it or something.
polarisfashion
Why aren’t they boycotting Red Lobster for selling shellfish? Why aren’t they protesting at Walmart for selling clothes made of blended threads? Why aren’t they advocating for the right to sell their daughters into slavery? Oh that’s right, they are hypocrites who like to cherry pick what they want to believe from a really old book of fairy tales!
SteveDenver
Christians FRANTIC to be as mean to gays and lesbians as possible.
Why? Because Texas.
Dakotahgeo
Nothing surprises me any more from the Texas christian extremists, least of all, the Texas Turds of Plano! Let them squeal and shout, and run about, scream to the Courts, which will ultimately… find it unconstitutional!
Horse Lips
I live in Texas (Austin actually, which isn’t really Texas) and I keep telling people that the fit Texas is gonna throw when marriage equality comes will make the fit they have been throwing down in Florida look downright quaint.
trilingual1946
A few relevant points: The Supreme Court has ruled that civil rights, once granted, can’t be revoked at the polls. That’s been the law since the 1940s!!! So if this passes it can easily be challenged in court and found unconstitutional.
The proponents don’t seem to be clear how our system works. A municipal vote in Plano, TX has no effect on the ordinances of any other city, so there’s no danger to non-discrimination ordinances in other cities. The state legislature could pass a law affecting all Texas cities, or a statewide initiative election could do the same thing, but in this situation any such law would still be found unconstitutional because neither legislatures nor voters can take civil rights away from other citizens.
jwtraveler
It really ironic that the most anti-Muslim people in this country are Christian fundamentalists, since they are the ones who have the most in common with the Muslim fundamentalists ideologically.
It’s actually to our advantage that they don’t realize this. If they discovered how alike they are, they’d stop trying to kill each other and focus on …. guess who?
Blackceo
Can we just let Texas secede?
polarisfashion
@jwtraveler: I read a report on Yahoo a day or two ago that ISIS executed two men that were gay. They were hauled up to the top of a tower and thrown to their deaths. I’m so thankful I don’t live in a country where being gay is punishable by death or imprisonment. I can’t help but wonder how much of the Old Testament these so called Christians want to bring back as actual law. I left the church years ago when I finally saw how intolerant and bigoted they really are.
GayEGO
These Repugnatan idiots don’t know or care about the laws, they are brainwashed by their Christian extremism. There are many churches that are changing their views and are supporting the LGBTQIs. When marriage equality becomes the law of the land and non-discrimination laws are updated to support the LGBTQIs the opposers will dig in their heels and bury themselves.
ThatguyatORU
I hope Oklahomans don’t get this hairbrained idea in their heads too. Sad.