Same-Sex Benefits Challenged

City's same-sex benefits plan faces backlash
By RACHEL GRAVES
Copyright 2001 Houston Chronicle


A grass-roots campaign reminiscent of one that overturned anti-discrimination laws in 1985 is gearing up to fight the Houston City Council's likely approval of same-sex benefits for city workers.

Ministers and conservative activists are flooding City Hall with phone calls and letters demanding that the council reject a provision allowing city employees to provide medical coverage for homosexual partners.

The issue is likely to be on the council agenda Feb. 14, and even those who oppose the issue acknowledge that it probably will pass. At least eight council members have indicated their support.

Activists are ready, already planning a petition drive to force a public vote on the issue. They would need to collect about 20,000 signatures in the 30 days after the council's vote. The referendum might then be held as a special election in August.

A special election would cost thousands of dollars, possibly several times the amount of the benefits. City officials do not know how many employees would take advantage of same-sex benefits but estimate that adding 100 people to the health plan would cost the city about $200,000 a year.

A referendum would likely force divisive debate and could impact the mayoral and City Council elections. All council members and Mayor Lee Brown are up for re-election this year.

"It's absolutely déjà vu," gay activist Ray Hill said.

The City Council passed measures in 1984 that prohibited using homosexuality as a factor in hiring and firing of city employees. A backlash against the ordinances led to a repeal movement, and it was overturned by an 82 percent vote in a 1985 referendum.

That campaign set the stage for the emergence of the anti-gay "Straight Slate" of challengers to Mayor Kathy Whitmire and council incumbents. All of the Straight Slate candidates lost.

Activists, including the head of the Harris County Republican Party, say they will make same-sex benefits a campaign issue this year.

"Politicians who fly in the face of public opinion tend to find their political lives abbreviated," said the Rev. Laurence L. White of Our Savior Lutheran Church.

White is chairman of the Greater Houston Area Pastors' Roundtable and sent the groups' 600 members a letter urging them to "stand in defense of marriage and family. For us as Christian pastors," he continued, "this is not about politics, but about basic moral principle."

Councilwoman Annise Parker, who is leading the move to adopt same-sex benefits and is openly homosexual, says the outcome will be different this time because Houston is "a very different city than it was 15 years ago." She adds that many of Houston's large companies -- including Continental Airlines, Enron and Shell -- offer domestic-partner benefits.

But Parker is expecting an ugly fight.

"It will be very difficult to listen to the hateful, wounding things that people will say about gays and lesbians," she said.

Gay activist Hill is less optimistic.

"There will be a referendum, and we will lose," he said. "The day will come, not in this round, when we will win because the campaign makes us look better and them look sicker."

Conservatives raised a host of objections, including that the measure has not been adequately researched, that there is no safeguard against fraud and that it gives special treatment to gays.

The proposal applies only to same-sex partners because the city already has a provision allowing benefits for common-law marriages.

No other city in Texas offers same-sex benefits, although Travis County, which includes Austin, does. A similar law passed Austin's City Council in 1993 but was overturned in a referendum.

Seven of the 10 largest cities in the country -- excluding Houston, San Antonio and Dallas -- offer domestic-partner benefits to their employees.

"Such a profound change in city policy should be sent to the voters," said Gary Polland, chairman of the Harris County Republican Party. Polland is holding out hope that the council will not pass same-sex benefits, but he said if it does, collecting the 20,000 signatures is "very doable."

"I believe it will become a campaign issue," he said.

Several conservative politicians said the issue is not about homosexuality.

"I'm about broken water mains," Councilman Orlando Sanchez said, adding that he objects to the measure because he thinks it will be abused. "I'm not going to pass judgment on a lifestyle."

White sees it differently.

"Our society has a responsibility to protect, to foster and to encourage marriage and the family," he said. "A marriage involves by definition a man and a woman."

Parker, who also supports gay marriage, said she has been with her partner for 10 years and defies any statement that it is not a family.

"My partner changed my grandfather's diapers for 10 months," she said. "This isn't a family caring for a family?"

The irony of this is that White is the pastor who actually confirmed me. He was a close friend of my grandparents and that side of my family for many years. He even attended anniversary parties for my grandparents and made half-joking but cutting remarks about my long hair and political beliefs.

When we went to church there, he told my mother who has a masters degree in Education that she would not be allowed to teach any classes with men in them because no woman could ever hold a position over a man. According to him, no woman should be allowed to vote on church matters nor should any woman be allowed to make decisions in the home without the husband's permission.

Being a feminist and a pretty liberal person, you can imagine how this went over with my mom. The only reason we went there was because I was attending school at Our Savior Lutheran.

Believe it or not, I considered my confirmation my first real "holy" experience, not that I have had many. It was one of those rare times when I felt like God was in the room with me. However, since then, I have had that experience while meditating, playing music and in a few other situations not pertaining to religion.

I support White's desire to express himself. It is a free country and he should do whatever his conscience tells him. However, it should be noted that my grandfather, one of the most conservative people I know, left Our Savior because he considered White's preaching politics and arrogance to be too conservative.

White routinely would tell people who to vote for in elections, treat members of the church with arrogance and belittle people with cutting jokes. He demanded the church raise his salary and move he and his family to a larger home. He utilized the monied interests of the church to convince the members to move the church to a new and larger location on land that constituted a significant financial return for him and a few priviledged church leaders.

White's first action in the brand new church was to preside over his son's wedding, which was held on a Sunday after church so EVERYONE could attend.

He is arrogant, condecending and rude. My grandfather considers a great deal of his actions to be "un-Christian" and, coming from a racist, homophobe like my grandfather who likes to talk about slaughterhouses and women keeping their place, that is a mouthful.

Obviously, I don't agree with White's position on this one, but I think it is also important to understand who he is. He is extremely intellegent and can be very intimidating. He is also a pompous ass.

I am glad I was confirmed by him because it was an experience I won't forget. I am sad that he is this way in his life and I can see that his hunger for power is growing.

The last time I saw him was during the arena campaign. He gave the opening prayer at one of the debates. In his prayer, he prayed (pontificated might be a better term) for the rights of the unborn, against "heathen" religions and against greedy millionaire athletes.

Mind you, this was a political, non-religious event where people of all religions, races and ideologies were present. Later, a Rabbi gave a prayer at the end of the meal that was short, compassionate (he asked God for aid to those less fortunate, etc.) and inclusive. What a difference.

I just thought some of you might like a different perspective on this story and who is behind it.



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Me fail English? That's unpossible.