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Pro-HERO ad shuts down trans bathroom myth (Houston Equal Rights Ordinance)
Days after opponents of the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance began airing a disgusting transphobic spot, the coalition supporting HERO responded Friday with its own radio ad.
The ad from Houston Unites pointedly addresses the transgender bathroom myth that has become a rallying cry for HERO opponents. Earlier his week, the anti-LGBT "Campaign for Houston" released a radio ad alleging HERO would allow men to enter women's restrooms, which it called "filthy, disgusting and unsafe."
Houston Unites' response features the Rev. Will Reed, pastor of Servants of Christ United Methodist Church, who emphasizes that in addition to sexual orientation and gender identity, HERO prohibits discrimination based on 13 other characteristics, including race:
“Recently, we’re hearing about HERO – Houston’s Equal Rights Ordinance, and concerns some have raised about privacy in public bathrooms,” Reed says in the ad. “What’s being lost is that it’s already illegal to go into a bathroom to harm or harass someone. This law won’t change that.
“We looked into it, and HERO is actually about providing a needed local tool to protect Houstonians from discrimination based on their race, religion, age, gender, military status, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability,” Reed says. "And Houston is the only major city in Texas without these protections against discrimination in jobs, housing and public places. In most cases, without local protections, Houstonians literally have to make a federal case out of it to get legal help with discrimination. That’s why we’re voting ‘yes’ on (Proposition 1), to keep Houston’s equal rights ordinance. We’re all God’s children and we should all be protected from discrimination.”
“We looked into it, and HERO is actually about providing a needed local tool to protect Houstonians from discrimination based on their race, religion, age, gender, military status, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability,” Reed says. "And Houston is the only major city in Texas without these protections against discrimination in jobs, housing and public places. In most cases, without local protections, Houstonians literally have to make a federal case out of it to get legal help with discrimination. That’s why we’re voting ‘yes’ on (Proposition 1), to keep Houston’s equal rights ordinance. We’re all God’s children and we should all be protected from discrimination.”
In a release announcing the ad, Houston Unites notes that more than half of discrimiation complaints filed under HERO were based on race, while another 17 percent were based on gender or pregnancy. The ad will air for at least two weeks on KHMX-FM, KKBQ/KTHT-FM, KODA-FM, KPRC-AM, KTRH-AM, RODA-FM and RTRH-AM.
Read more: http://www.projectq.us/houston/pro_hero_ad_counters_trans_bathroom_myth?gid=17168#.VeC6nfJe4NM.twitter
