Dan Branch
Texas attorney general candidate Dan Branch has made his anti-gay views part of his legislative agenda while a state representative for part of Oak Lawn, but now he’s trying to push San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro to discriminate.
Branch sent Castro a letter Monday encouraging him to withdraw the proposed nondiscrimination ordinance from the San Antonio City Council’s consideration, the San Antonio Express-News reports. The measure would ban discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations based on sexual orientation, gender identity and veteran status.
Castro has voiced support for the ordinance, and recently condemned anti-gay comments by Councilwoman Elisa Chan made public in a recording last week.
Branch has an issue with people of faith not being able to discriminate based on religious beliefs.
“The proposed ordinance itself discriminates — against people of faith,” Branch wrote. “The proposed city ordinance would exclude citizens from being appointed to city office … if they believe — as millions of people of faith do — in the traditional institution of marriage.”
But Branch failed to mention his home district in Dallas, which has a nondiscrimination ordinance, as does Fort Worth, Austin and El Paso.
Branch has a long anti-gay voting history in the state House, co-authoring Texas’ 2005 constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. He filed a brief in a gay divorce case before the Texas Supreme Court earlier this month defending the state’s amendment and asking the court to overturn a divorce granted to a lesbian couple in Austin.
During his campaign for attorney general, he’s already featured anti-gay content and vowed to uphold traditional values.
Read Branch’s full letter below.
Dan Branch Letter to San Antonio
