HOUSTON — The Texas Supreme Court says voters in Houston must decide whether they want an equal right ordinance in their city — and not whether the existing one should be repealed.
The ruling Wednesday over ballot wording for a November referendum was another stumble for Mayor Annise Parker and efforts to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in the nation’s fourth-largest city.
The Houston City Council last year adopted a nondiscrimination ordinance. It aims to protect gay and transgender people against discrimination in employment and public places.
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The news you care about, reported on by the people who care about you.But the Texas Supreme Court ruled last month that conservative activists should have succeeded in a petition drive to put the issue before voters. The court now says the ballot language must ask voters whether Houston should have a nondiscrimination ordinance.
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