Added on October 27, 2024 Laila Khalili  , , , ,
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5 Things You Need to Know About the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance

5 Things You Need to Know About the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance
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Early voting is upon us and the November 3rd election is right around the corner. One of the big items on the ballot is Houston’s Proposition 1, also known as the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance, or HERO.

There has been a lot of talk about this ordinance, some factual, and some not-so-factual. Here are the top five things you need to know about HERO before you vote.

One. First things first. Let’s clear up any confusion about what the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance isn’t.

The Houston Equal Rights Ordinance does not make it legal to harm someone in a bathroom. It does not protect sexual predators, it does not allow men to freely use women’s bathrooms or locker rooms, and it does not let rapists off the hook.

The Houston Equal Rights Ordinance is not a “bathroom ordinance.” There is literally nothing in the ordinance language that says anything about bathrooms.

Additionally, there is a 1972 Houston law that specifically states, “It shall be unlawful for any person to knowingly and intentionally enter any public restroom designated for the exclusive use of the sex opposite to such person’s sex without the permission of the owner, tenant, manager, lessee or other person in charge of the premises, in a manner calculated to cause a disturbance.”

That means it’s illegal to go into a bathroom with the intent to harm someone. And, last time we checked, rapists and abusers are going to behave as you would expect them to behave-without regard for the law, with or without an equal rights ordinance. If you need any more convincing on this point, check out the Houston Chronicle editorial board’s op-ed about HERO.

Two. HERO protects every single Houstonian from discrimination.

The ordinance reads: “Houston seeks to provide an environment that is free of any type of discrimination based on sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, familial status, marital status, military status, religion, disability, sexual orientation, genetic information, gender identity or pregnancy.” That’s 15 protected characteristics!

Three. Houston, while being the most diverse city in the nation, is the only major city in Texas and the U.S. without a non-discrimination ordinance. NYC, L.A., Denver, Seattle, Chicago, Atlanta, and others have had policies like this for years. Not only that, but Plano, Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, and San Antonio have ordinances just like this as well.

Four. Despite the fact that HERO was passed by City Council in May of 2024, it has not been in effect. Still, some cases of discrimination have been reported to the City of Houston’s Office of the Inspector General in the hopes of doing something about it.

Below is a breakdown of the types of discrimination that have been reported since May 2024:

Race- 56%
Gender-17%
Familial Status- 13%
Age- 6%
Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity- 5%
The rest have been based on veteran status, national origin and disability.

While some federal and state protections against discrimination are extended to some groups of people, the City of Houston has no local protections for any of the classes mentioned above. It’s still legal in the U.S. to fire someone from their job just because they are gay. A woman can lose her job because she’s pregnant, or a person can be denied service at a local establishment because of their skin color or religion. Discrimination is real, and even though most people believe we should all be able to go about our lives without being judged for who we are, discrimination does happen.

Without a local ordinance to make it easier to find a solution, people would have to file costly and complicated lawsuits at the state or federal level. With the equal rights ordinance, the Office of the Inspector General can investigate a complaint and handle it far easier.

Five. The Equal Rights Ordinance is being voted on RIGHT NOW. For anyone who is able to vote in this election, it’s crucial that your vote is counted. If you support this ordinance, you vote ‘Yes’ on Houston Proposition 1, opting to keep the ordinance in place. If you do not support it, you vote ‘No.’

Early voting ends on October 30th, and the last day to vote is on election day, November 3rd. Check out our voting guide for more information about polling locations and times.

by Laila Khalili

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  • Donna Thirkell

    I’m voting for hero, however the author of this piece needs a history lesson on the civil rights act and her editor needs a swift kick in the ass for letting it go through without fact checking it first.

  • jd111417

    The mayor will be gone in a few, thank god.

  • jd111417

    I vote no, the only reason why it passed city council is because the mayor forced it. No its wrong, leave things the way it it.

  • Susan

    Such Wittgensteinian use of Words and Language to control the “thinking” (ha ha) of the ignorant masses. “HERO legislation” (LOLOLOL) to promote irrational, vile, Marxist ideology where boys are girls. A total denial of Logic and Reason in children and forcing the LUNACY on adults to adopt mental illness as “normal” and force children to “think” multilation (vice) is “Good” and a “Natural” (ha ha) Right from God—-in a “Justice (virtue) System.

    There was a reason that sodomy and mutilation of self and promotion of ALL VICE to children used to be a felony. The insanity of Fichte reigns now like it did with the nihilistic Germans who are committing suicide as I type. Embed evil, irrational ideology into children and VOILA—you get evil, irrational, vile adults.

  • JimfromCTown

    The law discriminates against truth and reality 100% of the time.

  • jackbenimble333

    Odd how liberals never buy into Point One above when the argument is gun control.

    Just like there are laws against rape and abuse, there are already laws against killing people and laws against felons owning guns. But liberals always argue that more gun laws are needed and to be consistent they should not be arguing that protections in bathrooms should be removed.

  • Susan

    Sexual orientation should NEVER be included in anything—it is a denial of Reality and Truth/God.

    It is a Marxist construct to destroy the difference between male and female—to make males and females interchangeable to destroy Individualism and Natural Law Theory (basis of US Justice). They are trying to create a Brave New (irrational) World where Up is Down, Boys are Girls and Slavery is Freedom. JUST DUMB, DUMB kids—- drones-to destroy all individuality and uniqueness (erase Truth/God/Reality) to make children irrational and unable to understand Reality/Truth/God.

    They will be ‘happy slaves” —all “equal”-all the “same” to be herded and controlled —because they are devoid of Logic and Reason and the ability to discern even the most BASIC reality of male and female. Destroy Reason/Logic/Reality (the Mind) and you reduce us all to irrational godless animals to be herded and controlled.

    • Steven David

      I’m pretty positive that you have no idea what actual Marxism is.

      Natural Law refers to inherent rights of citizens, generally accepted to be the right to life, liberty, and property. Although this does vary between philosophers. I’m pretty positive that you had no idea of that either.

      Brave New World is about governments intent to remove all unique, identifying features of it’s citizens, which is the opposite of the Equal Rights Ordinance which intends to preserve and respect those differences.

      You put ‘happy slaves’ in quotations. Can you cite where this has been used?

      Can you give an example of how equality has led to citizenry becoming controlled?