Equality Texas members lobbied at the State Capitol on Monday to share stories of discrimination. The group works to ensure equality for Texans in the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities.
Equality Texas wants to protect foster families, ensure safe learning environments for schoolchildren and end workplace discrimination based on real or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity. They met with legislators to voice concerns over these issues.
"And those conversations will talk about the issues that are important to us, and those issues are varied and many. But primarily they're all very similar in the sense that they involve discrimination," Equality Now executive director Paul Scott said.
In the past, the group has led the fight to strengthen hate crime legislation. Monday's lobby focused on bills prohibiting workplace discrimination and protecting children at school.
Scott said many Texans don’t realize the state’s nondiscrimination policies for housing, employment, education and public accommodation don’t include sexual orientation and gender identity among the covered attributes of race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, and disability.
Hillary Clinton pledges White House partnership with gay activists
WASHINGTON – Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton told the nation's leading gay rights group that she wants a partnership with gays if elected president.
The New York Democrat made the keynote speech Friday to the Human Rights Campaign. Neither Clinton's presidential campaign nor her Senate office announced the address.
When asked today about the lack of publicity for the event, Clinton said, ''You'll have to ask my campaign.''
In the speech, she pledged to maintain the close working relationship that helped defeat a federal amendment to ban same-sex marriage. And told the group it would have “an open door to the White House'' if she's elected.
Clinton also said she opposes the military's “don't ask, don't tell'' policy regarding gays that was instituted during her husband's presidency.
