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Opponents of Houston LGBT ordinance sue city after failed referendum attempt
HOUSTON — Opponents of Houston’s new protections for LGBT residents have sued the city after failing to collect enough votes for a repeal referendum. The Houston Chronicle reports the lawsuit filed late Tuesday contests how signatures were counted for the referendum petition. It claims City Attorney David Feldman illegally verified the signatures.
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63 Texas lawmakers compare same-sex marriage to incest, pedophilia, polygamy
AUSTIN, Texas — More than 60 Texas lawmakers have signed on to a legal brief comparing same-sex marriage to incest, pedophilia, and polygamy. Lone Star Q reports that 63 legislators — members of the Texas Conservative Coalition — signed the brief urging the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Firth Circuit to uphold Texas’ ban on same-sex marriage.
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Federal appeals courts prepare to hear slew of same-sex marriage cases
CINCINNATI — Federal appeals courts covering nearly half the United States will soon hear arguments on whether gay and lesbian couples have a right to marry, part of a slew of cases putting pressure on the U.S. Supreme Court to issue a final verdict. If the appeals courts continue the unbroken eight-month streak of rulings in favor of gay marriage, that could make…
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Opponents of Houston equal rights ordinance fail to qualify for ballot
HOUSTON — Opponents of Houston’s LGBT-inclusive Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO) fell short of qualifying for a ballot referendum, Mayor Annise Parker announced Monday afternoon. The petition needed at least 17,269 valid signatures from registered Houston voters to put a repeal of the ordinance before voters in November.
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Opponents of Houston LGBT ordinance may fall short of qualifying for ballot
Houston city officials say they will announce Monday whether opponents of the city’s new LGBT-inclusive non-discrimination ordinance have obtained enough valid petition signatures to force a ballot referendum aimed at repealing the measure. But already, City Attorney David Feldman is hinting that many of the petitions submitted don’t meet legal…
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Texas attorney general says same-sex marriage ban best supports children
AUSTIN, Texas — Texas’ ban on same-sex marriage allows the state to promote the birth and upbringing of children in “stable, lasting relationships,” the state’s attorney general argued Tuesday while asking a federal appeals court to reinstate the ban. Attorney General Greg Abbott, the Republican nominee for governor, said the views of ban opponents could be considered “rational.”
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Gay children’s home worker fired for ‘lifestyle choices’
LUBBOCK, Texas — A Texas man has been fired from his job at the Children’s Home of Lubbock for his “lifestyle choices” after introducing kids to his fiancé during a day trip earlier this month. Casey Stegall, an openly gay human development and family studies major at Texas Tech University, says he “got fired just for me being who I am,” reports the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.
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Marriage News Watch: State lawyers ignore public support for marriage equality
The rules have changed yet again this week in Colorado, with new rulings on marriage from multiple courts. New polls show growing support for equality in western states, but multiple Attorneys General have filed new briefs to stop gay and lesbian couples from marrying. And another Republican member of Congress has come out in favor of the freedom to marry…
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Vote on Houston LGBT anti-bias ordinance still possible
HOUSTON — Houston city leaders still don’t know whether opponents of new anti-bias protections for LGBT residents have enough signatures to force a repeal vote in November. The Houston City Council in May adopted the discrimination bans in housing, employment and services provided by private businesses such as hotels and restaurants. Critics contend …
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Report: Marriage equality would add $181 million, new jobs to Texas economy
Extending marriage to same-sex couples in Texas would generate an estimated $181.6 million in spending to the state’s economy and generate over 1,500 new jobs over three years, according to a new study. Researchers at the Williams Institute, an independent think tank at UCLA’s School of Law, estimates that — based on 2010 U.S. Census data — 46,401 same-sex couples…