Yesterday we told you how an anti-gay marriage amendment died Wednesday in Texas, joining 20 other anti-LGBT proposals that failed to pass the state Legislature this year.
The Texas Pastor Council, an anti-gay hate group that backed much of the legislation, sent out an email Thursday blaming two Republican senators for the demise of the anti-gay marriage amendment. The email from the Pastor Council's Dave Welch (above), goes on to say that the Legislature did "nothing meaningful to protect religious freedom, traditional marriage or oppose the radical agenda of the sexual perversity/gender confusion."
Welch blames "the pro-LGBT, anti-Christian corporate lobby" along with the "moral weakness" of Republicans in leadership, along with a Democratic Party "deeply controlled by the LGBT forces."
Finally, Welch says the good news is that pastors all over Texas are no longer willing to be passive while "the enemy of our souls and his pawns influencing media, entertainment, education and politics assault God's moral law and created order."
From the email:
It is an astounding and appalling reality that in one of the most Republican-dominated state governments in the U.S., with a strong majority in both House and Senate, that the Texas legislature did nothing meaningful to protect religious freedom, traditional marriage or oppose the radical agenda of the sexual perversity/gender confusion.
The “why” is clear.
The political influence of the pro-LGBT, anti-Christian corporate lobby combined with the moral weakness of key Republicans holding leadership positions on House and Senate trumped the clear principles of the GOP Platform, the will of the Texas voters, pastors from all over Texas who stood and spoke boldly. That, combined with a Democrat party entirely and deeply controlled by the LGBT forces and every “D” Senator and Representative in their pocket, neutralized what should have been a pro-family legislative session.
The good news is that the only way for evil to triumph is for us to be silent, and we have proven that pastors all over Texas are no longer willing to be passive as the enemy of our souls and his pawns influencing media, entertainment, education and politics assault God's moral law and created order.
We have, indeed, just begun to fight for God's righteousness and justice.
But it gets even worse for the Texas Pastor Council. Thursday was also the one-year anniversary of the passage of the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO), which prompted some of the anti-LGBT state legislation. And the Pastor Council led the unsuccessful petition drive to repeal the ordinance. One pastor affiliated with the group said recently that anti-LGBT groups have spent $500,000 on a lawsuit challenging the city's decision to reject their petition, which is currently on appeal.
The pro-LGBT Texas Freedom Network issued a press release Thursday marking the occasion:
To mark today's first anniversary of the Houston City Council's passage of a comprehensive Equal Rights Ordinance, TFN President Kathy Miller issued the following statement:
“The passage of the Houston ordinance was a landmark moment in an ongoing campaign to ensure equality for all Texans, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. No one should be fired from a job, evicted from their home or denied public services simply because of who they are or whom they love. All Texans should be equal under law.
This year Texas legislators filed more than 20 bills promoting discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. We look forward to the day when the Legislature instead follows the example of cities like Houston and protects all Texans from discrimination.”
Houston was the last major city in Texas to pass a comprehensive civil rights ordinance that includes protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression as well as other characteristics such as race, religion, sex and military status.
Opponents organized a petition drive to put repeal of HERO on a citywide ballot. But the city and a state district court judge determined that opponents had failed to obtain the required number of petition signatures. Jurors in the court case found that the petition included many forged and illegible signatures. Opponents are appealing the decision.
Texas law does not include discrimination protections based on sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.
