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| State Rep. Senfronia Thompson |
Texas State Rep. Senfronia Thompson, a Houston Democrat, will speak in Dallas on Saturday, March 15, at 7:30 p.m. at the Iron Cactus, 1520 Main St., No. 101, in downtown Dallas.
She will talk about her vision for moving Texas forward and her candidacy for speaker of the Texas House of Representatives. The event is free and open to the public, but those planning to attend are asked to RSVP to Michael Thomas by calling 214-403-8657.
Thompson is one of the 12 legislators honored as a "Hero of the 80th Legislature" last year by Stonewall Democrats of Dallas.
She has long been known as a staunch ally of the LGBT community, and is perhaps best known to many in the community for her speech opposing the proposed amendment to the state Constitution banning same-sex marriage that was approved by voters in 2006.
Thompson said, in part: "When I was a small girl, white folks used to talk about ‘protecting the institution of marriage’ as well. What they meant was if people of my color tried to marry people of [Republican State Rep. Warren Chisum’s] color, you’d often find the people of my color hanging from a tree. That’s what the white folks did back then to ‘protect marriage.’ Fifty years ago, white folks thought interracial marriages were a ‘threat to the institution of marriage.’
"Members, I’m a Christian and a proud Christian. I read the Good Book, and do my best to live by it. I have never read the verse where it says, ‘gay people can’t marry.’ I have never read the verse where it says, ‘thou shalt discriminate against those not like me.’ I have never read the verse where it says, ‘let’s base our public policy on hate and fear and discrimination.’"
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition March 7, 2008