Joe Valentine
The battle over the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance is heating up. Houston voters will go to the polls on Election Day in November to decide whether HERO remains law or is repealed.
The latest to weigh in on the nondiscrimination ordinance are athletes.
Former Houston Astros outfielder and first baseman Lance Berkman used right-wing talking points when he described the ordinance as a “bathroom bill.”
“I played professional baseball for 15 years, but my family is more important. My wife and I have four daughters. Proposition 1, the bathroom ordinance, would allow troubled men to enter women’s public bathrooms, showers and locker rooms. This would violate their privacy and put them in harm’s way.”
Yesterday, former Houston Astros and Cincinnati Reds pitcher Joe Valentine answered Berkman, weighing in on the side of equality.
“I’m the father of two wonderful little girls and spent years as a major league pitcher. As a Dad, I would do anything to protect my daughters. As a major league ball player, Lance Berkman does not speak for me, or any of the other fair-minded guys in baseball. Berkman’s comments don’t reflect the facts. Proposition 1 will not allow men in women’s bathrooms. It simply allows everyone to work hard and be treated fairly, no matter who they are, and that includes transgender people.”
