We love her, we really love her. (Photo from KHOU video)
On Thursday, President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton voiced their support for the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance.
“No one should face discrimination for who they are or who they love — I support efforts for equality in Houston & beyond,” Clinton tweeted.
A White House press spokesman issued a statement for Obama and Biden.
“The president and vice president have been strong supporters of state and local efforts to protect Americans from being discriminated against based on who they are and who they love,” the spokesman said.
Meanwhile celebrities have come out in support of the ordinance as well. Houstonian and actor Matt Bomer released a letter this week asking Houstonians to vote yes for HERO. Michael Sam released a video last week in support of HERO.
And Sally Field was in town yesterday to campaign for HERO. She said the campaign was personal because her mother and grandmother were both born in Houston. She held up a sign doing her best Norma Rae impression since we loved her, we really loved her. She said that as the mother of a gay son, she hoped Houston would pass nondiscrimination protection.
“Why here, why Houston, why me?” Field asked. “Because everyone in this country is watching this. This is incredibly important. Eyes are on Houston. This is Texas. There are 15 different categories of people it protects. I fit into many of those categories. This is my country, this our fight to bring about equality as a right for everyone.”
Corporate support for the ordinance grew with a major endorsement yesterday from Apple.
“Apple is proud to be a part of Houston with four stores that employ over 500 people,” the company wrote in a statement. “Our stores and our company are open to everyone, regardless of where they come from, what they look like, how they worship or who they love. Apple supports Proposition 1 as it sends a clear message that Houston is focused on a future of inclusion, diversity and continued prosperity.”
And here’s the level of crap — pun intended — being shoveled by the opposition.
The pastor of Houston’s Second Baptist Church said that if the measure passed it would discriminate against “those of us who believe that men should use men’s facilities and women should use women’s facilities.”
Dallas and Fort Worth have each had nondiscrimination ordinances in place for more than a decade. Dallas moved sexual orientation and gender identity from ordinance to its city charter last November after a proposition passed with 77 percent of the vote and not one damn penny wasted on a campaign. The Houston vote is expected to be much closer.
The election is on Nov. 3.
