What’s Brewing: LGBT advocates to address commissioners; hearings on 4 pro-equality bills

Your weekday morning blend from Instant Tea:

1. Several members of the LGBT communiity are expected to call on the Dallas County Commissioners Court to add transgender employees to the county’s nondiscrimination policy during public comments at the court’s regular meeting this morning. The Commissioners Court added sexual orientation but not gender identity to the policy two weeks ago. The meeting begins at 9 a.m. at the County Administration Building, 411 Elm St. Watch for coverage later today on Instant Tea.

2. Four pro-equality bills are scheduled for hearings in Texas House committees today. HB 604 and HB 2156 are identical measures to repeal the state’s “homosexual conduct” law. HB 2227 would add gender identity and expression to Texas’ hate crimes law, and HB 1909 would remove discriminatory provisions from the state’s age of consent (Romeo and Juliet) laws. Representatives from Equality Texas will testify in favor of all four bills. For more, visit Equality Texas’ Legislative Information Center. You can also watch the proceedings live on the Legislature’s website.

3. Local activist Mark Reed-Walkup, who filed a discrimination complaint against The Dallas Morning News for refusing to publish his same-sex wedding announcement, provided this update about the case on Facebook on Monday: “We received a registered letter today from the Fair Housing Office of the City of Dallas. Our discrimination case against the Dallas Morning News is now officially under review which means they believe our complaint has merit and they will be setting up interviews with us soon.”