TexasTowelie
TexasTowelie's JournalCheck in if you are observing Texas Independence Day.
Enjoy the holiday if you are a state employee or if you just need an excuse to party.
At any point in your day, if you hear people talking about the weather, you drink. You hear someone say, "Ugh! I'm soooo sweaty!" Drink.
Sportscaster Dale Hansen Rips Phobes Over Transgender Wrestler Mack Beggs
You may remember Dallas sportscaster Dale Hansen, who went viral in 2012 with a video excoriating NFL executives for their predictions that Michael Sams draft stock would go down after he came out as gay.
Well Hansen is back with some more strong words, this time for UIL, the governing agency for public school sports in Texas, and their antiquated policies on transgender athletes.
If youve not heard the story about Mack Beggs, heres a quick catch-up:
Transgender teen Mack Beggs of Euless Trinity High won the individual 110lb state title in girls wrestling over the weekend outside of Houston. Beggs, 17, identifies as male, receives doctor prescribed testosterone hormone treatment and wanted to wrestle boys. UIL rules required Beggs to compete in the girls division.
Parents expressed frustration at the dynamic saying the hormone therapy Beggs receives gave the junior a competitive advantage. Lisa Lathams daughter lost to Beggs on Friday and said the wrestler should be allowed to compete with boys.
Im frustrated that times are changing and UIL is still in the dark ages, Lisa Latham said.
Read more: http://www.towleroad.com/2017/03/dale-hansen/
Texas Republicans Attempt to Hijack CPS Reform with Racist Amendment Backfires
Sparks flew Wednesday at the state Capitol after a Republican lawmaker tried to score political points by attaching an anti-immigrant amendment to a major bill aimed at reforming the states failing child welfare system.
The controversy erupted while members were considering 12 amendments to House Bill 4, which would increase support payments to relatives who take in abused or neglected children. The amendment, by Representative Mark Keough, R-The Woodlands, sought to prevent those payments from going to undocumented family members.
Republicans and Democrats, who have made reforming Child Protective Services (CPS) a priority this session, immediately pushed back against Keoughs amendment. Legislators called the proposal racist, detrimental to abused kids and un-Christian. Keough is a pastor at The Woodlands Bible Church who has claimed his election to the House was divine appointment.
I am pretty heartbroken to be part of this today, said Representative Byron Cook, R-Corsicana. We came here to take care of children. I feel like crying. I really do.
Read more: https://www.texasobserver.org/texas-republican-wants-cry-gop-colleagues-attempt-hijack-cps-reform-immigration-amendment/
Trinity Univ. Conservatives File "Harassment" Claim Against Students Who Returned Their Event Fliers
SAN ANTONIO -- Shortly after Trinity University student Jonah Wendt distributed some 600 event leaflets across campus housing, 288 reappeared in front of his own dorm room door.
"Keep your propaganda to yourselves. We don't like it in our faces," a note read on top of the rubber-banded stack of returned leaflets. Wendt had passed out the fliers to advertise an upcoming event hosted by his conservative student group, Tigers for Liberty featuring conservative filmmaker Dinesh D'Souza. The event's title: "What's so great about America?"
Some students provided their own answers, scrawled in colorful ink, and returned the leaflets to Wendt. "Immigrants." "Public education." "National parks." "Women's rights." "The gays."
Wendt decided this was "harassment" and took the complaint to campus police.
"This is a clear attempt at intimidation, Wendt told the Express-News this week.
Read more: http://www.sacurrent.com/the-daily/archives/2017/02/28/trinity-conservatives-file-harassment-claim-against-students-who-returned-their-event-fliers
San Antonio Islamophobic Group Fires Leader for Being Too Islamophobic
The local arm of anti-Muslim conservative group ACT for America has fired its chapter head for being too openly Islamophobic.
Roy White, a retired Air Force lieutenant, was booted this weekend for publicizing that February's ACT meeting would be a lesson in how to "shut down mosques." White, however, wasn't lying the Thursday meeting featured a presentation by Karen Lugo, the author of a book that gives step-by-step instructions on how to use zoning laws and press local officials to prevent mosques from being built or opened in a community.
But instead of decrying Lugo, ACT officials fired White for refusing to cancel the heavily-protested meeting at which she spoke. In an email announcing their decision to supporters, ACT called Lugo "a great patriot."
"[We are] not in the business of shutting down any place of worship based on what religion it houses," the email read. But the organization (which has been labeled a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center) said it will continue working with Lugo.
Read more: http://www.sacurrent.com/the-daily/archives/2017/02/27/local-islamophobic-group-fires-leader-for-being-too-islamophobic
Texas is out as host for Gay Games
The Federation of Gay Games has released its short list of three cities still in the running to host its 11th event in 2022, and Dallas and Austin are out the running.
As of this morning, the finalists have been whittled down to Guadalajara, Mexico; Hong Kong; and Washington, D.C. Other semifinalists whose cities didnt make the cut are Denver, Salt Lake City and San Francisco. San Antonio also put in a bid, but was eliminated in the first round.
The 2018 games will take place next summer in Paris. The 2022 location will be finalized this May. (Personally, Im pulling for Guadalajara because its closest!)
http://www.dallasvoice.com/texas-host-gay-games-10233326.html
Democrats urged to join fight against SB 4
Matt Simpson, policy strategist for the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, told members of the Central Texas Democratic Forum on Monday that Senate Bill 4, the so-called sanctuary cities bill, throws out policies created by sheriffs and police departments across the state about how and when to ask about immigration status.
This is kind of a road map to racial profiling, he said.
Simpson was one of three opponents of SB 4 who urged the group to donate its money and time to help fight the legislation and to help groups that assist undocumented immigrants. City Council Member Greg Casar and Austin Independent School District Trustee Paul Saldaña also talked about the problems their constituents are facing.
Simpson explained that SB 4, which has passed the Senate and is pending in the House State Affairs Committee, prohibits local police chiefs and sheriffs as well as campus police departments from prohibiting or discouraging their officers from inquiring about the immigration status of people they have stopped.
Cities and counties that are adjudged to be violating the law would lose state grant funding and also be subject to civil fines. Gov. Greg Abbott did not wait for passage of the bill before punishing Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez for deciding not to honor most Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer requests.
Read more: https://www.austinmonitor.com/stories/2017/02/democrats-urged-to-join-fight-against-sb-4/
Austin Sexual Assault Advocates Demand Answers for Rape Kit Negligence
Disconcerting reports about the current status of APDs ever-growing rape kit backlog has prompted Travis Countys Sexual Assault Resource and Recovery Team (SARRT) to draft a letter to Mayor Steve Adler, Interim City Manager Elaine Hart, and Interim Police Chief Brian Manley requesting immediate clarification about the holdup.
According to Emily LeBlanc, the project's local co-chair, APD had told SARRT last summer (shortly after the lab closed) that the Department of Public Safety would both store APDs DNA evidence and test what wasnt sent over to private labs. But that hasnt happened. Instead, as she notes, DPS is warehousing the evidence while APD formulates another plan. The backlog has since grown to over 4,000 cases, most of which pertain to sexual assault.
Prior to the labs closure, sexual assault survivors who wished to prosecute were subject to a three-year process just to get their case to trial. Now, the duration of time is no longer predictable. SAFE Response Coordinator Kristen Lenau told the Chronicle: We no longer tell survivors how long the wait will be before their kit gets tested. We just have no idea.
SARRT, a community response team comprised of sexual assault advocates, law enforcement, and prosecutors, exists to create a more cohesive response to sexual assault by working with multiple agencies in charge of aiding rape survivors and prosecuting their attackers.
Read more: http://www.austinchronicle.com/daily/news/2017-03-01/sexual-assault-advocates-demand-answers-for-rape-kit-negligence/
Tennessee has declared war on same-sex families: Inside the legislation that would eradicate nearly
Tennessee has declared war on same-sex families: Inside the legislation that would eradicate nearly all rights for LGBT couplesHeather MacKenzie bought her wedding ring at Wal-Mart. MacKenzie, now 38, proposed to her wife, Charitey, by driving to the top of Tiger Hill in Murfreesboro, a town located near the couples Tennessee home. The hill, a favorite spot for preteen sledders during the winter, looks over the entire town, as well as the vast expanse of the surrounding area. This was where the MacKenzies had their first date.
The pair said I do in June 2015, just days after the Obergefell v. Hodges ruling legalized marriage between same-sex couples in their state. The MacKenzies were wed in Nashville in front of the courthouse under a magnolia tree.
Over a year later, the couple are expecting a child: Charitey is 12 weeks pregnant with a son. A trio of recently proposed laws, however, could jeopardize the future of their growing clan. This legislation seeks to erase any hint of legal recognition for LGBT couples in Tennessee, all but declaring war on the families of same-sex parents living in the state.
Filed by State Rep. Terri Lynn Weaver, House Bill 1406 would prevent a couple from listing on the birth certificate the second parent (the spouse not giving birth) after a woman becomes pregnant through artificial insemination. The legislation would nullify a provision of the Tennessee Code Annotated 68-3-306, which was issued as part of the Vital Records Act of 1977. The law states, A child born to a married woman as a result of artificial insemination, with consent of the married womans husband, is deemed to be the legitimate child of the husband and wife.
Read more: http://www.salon.com/2017/02/27/tennessee-has-declared-war-on-same-sex-families-inside-the-legislation-that-would-eradicate-nearly-all-rights-for-lgbt-couples/
Texas Lawmaker Wants to Ban Wrongful Birth Lawsuits
Texas lawmakers discussed a bill on Monday that would protect doctors from wrongful birth lawsuits. Senate Bill 25 would prevent parents from suing doctors if their baby is born with defects or disabilities.
Republican State Sen.Brandon Creighton of Conroe is the bills author. He told the Texas Senate Committee on State Affairs that he doesnt like wrongful birth lawsuits for a couple of reasons. First, he said theres no such thing as a wrongful birth in his opinion.
It also affects doctors since they may be liable for a disability in which they did not cause, doctors may overcautiously seek out all potential disabilities and promote abortions in order to avoid liability, he says.
Margaret Johnson with the League of Women Voters told lawmakers her organization opposes SB 25.
Read more: http://www.texasstandard.org/stories/texas-lawmaker-wants-to-ban-wrongful-birth-lawsuits/#
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Gender: MaleHometown: South Texas. most of my life I lived in Austin and Dallas
Home country: United States
Current location: Bryan, Texas
Member since: Sun Aug 14, 2011, 03:57 AM
Number of posts: 112,167