Houston Employees Win Battle for Benefits
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Texas face legal challenges and discrimination not faced by other people.
– Just last week a gay couple was pulled from the dance floor of the Cactus Canyon and told that club policy prohibits gay couples from dancing to
country music. Justin Meyer, 21, and James Douglas, 30, had already
danced several songs without incident, but a manager intervened when the
music switched to Dustin Lynch’s “Cowboys and Angels.”
But when the city of Houston tried to ignore Federal law and denied spousal benefits for LGBT couples, Mayor Annise Parker spoke up and victory prevailed.
Lone Star Q reports:
U.S.
District Judge Lee Rosenthal considered the request after the case was
moved from state court to federal court by the defendants — Mayor Annise
Parker and the city of Houston.
Harris County GOP Chair Jared Woodfill, on behalf of taxpayers Jack Pidgeon and Larry Hicks, sued
Parker and the city in December after she extended benefits to the same-sex spouses of city employees who are legally married in other states.
State District Judge Lisa Millard, a Republican, issued a
restraining order halting the benefits, before the city moved the case
to federal court, where Woodfill sought another restraining order.
Following a lengthy hearing on Thursday afternoon in Houston, Rosenthal
denied the request.
