James Russell | Political Writer
james.journo@gmail.com
Speaker of the House Dennis Bonnen was fresh off a successful legislative session when he met with the far-right conservative activist Michael Quinn Sullivan last June. Bonnen had shepherded through a school finance reform bill increasing state funding for public education and a controversial law stopping municipalities from raising property taxes by more than 3 percent without voter approval.
Social issues like abortion and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights were largely avoided in the House under his reign.
LGBT advocates were relieved by that after previous sessions when they had to fight off numerous bills seeking to restrict bathroom access for transgender people and were unable to stop lawmakers from passing a law allowing adoption agencies to decline services based on religious beliefs.
Observers credited Bonnen for his hands-on approach during the 140-day session, which began in January and ended in May. And the victories were seen as a way for Republicans who narrowly won re-election in 2018 to go home and tout their successes among swing voters.
Rebecca Marques, Texas state director for the Human Rights Campaign, cited Republican progress on LGBT issues this past session:
“This session brought several significant milestones when it comes to Republican support for LGBT rights. State Rep. Sarah Davis has long been a strong and consistent champion for LGBT equality. This session, she became the only Republican to co-sponsor a bill introduced to protect LGBT youth from the dangerous practice of so-called ‘conversion therapy,’” Marques said.
Even in the very conservative Republican-led Senate, “Sen. Kel Seliger (R-Amarillo) became the first Republican in the Senate to vote in defense of the LGBTQ Texans. These are two great examples of Republicans doing the right thing,” Marques added, “and we hope more will join them in the effort to make Texas a welcoming place for our community.”
But on Tuesday, Oct. 22, after several House members, including some of his committee chairmen, called for his resignation, Bonnen announced his retirement after two decades in the Legislature.
Their calls stemmed from outrage over a summer meeting between Bonnen Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dustin Burrows, who was then the GOP Caucus Chairman, and Michael Quinn Sullivan, the leader of Empower Texans. The group is funded by evangelical Christian and school voucher advocate Tim Dunn of Midland and collaborates with Texas Values and the Eagle Forum, all of whom oppose LGBT rights.
The organization regularly attacks Republican lawmakers who break with hard right priorities. During the era of former Speaker Joe Straus, the group spent millions on primary opponents with mixed results.
Bonnen and Burrows wanted a frank, off the record meeting about his organization’s tactics. In exchange for not targeting vulnerable Republicans in the primaries, the group could go after 10 Republicans, including some who ran against Bonnen for speaker, in the primaries. Burrows, who resigned as caucus chairman after portions of the tape were released, included the 10 lawmakers because they voted against a bill banning so-called taxpayer funded lobbying.
But Sullivan released a tape and transcript of what was said in that meeting earlier this month, and when he did, the chorus of outrage grew. The tape and transcript showed Bonnen not only slandering members of his own party and saying he hates cities and counties, they also document how he went after Democrats, too.
On the tape, Bonnen described freshman Rep. Jon Rosenthal of Houston as “mak[ing] his skin crawl.” Then he added, referring to his chief of staff Gavin Massingill: “Massingill said it best — ‘Well, his wife’s gonna be really pissed when she learns he’s gay.’”
Bonnen also described Rep. Michelle Beckley, the Carrollton Democrat who defeated former Rep. and anti-transgender bathroom bill author Ron Simmons, as “vile.”
The comments about Beckley and Rosenthal, both members of the House LGBTQ Caucus, flew in the face of Bonnen’s decision to steer clear of social issues as well as his promise to go after any member who goes after another.
The House Democratic Caucus praised his decision not to seek re-election.
Caucus Chair Chris Turner of Grand Prairie, First Vice-Chair Celia Israel of Austin, Second Vice-Chair Toni Rose of Dallas and Treasurer Oscar Longoria of Mission issued a statement saying, “Speaker Bonnen has made the right decision, as it has become increasingly clear that he no longer has the support to serve as speaker again. Democratic Members of the House will continue our work to lead Texas to a better tomorrow by focusing on strong public schools, affordable health care and stopping gun violence,”
What happens in 2021?
But now that Bonnen is gone, what’s going to happen around LGBT issues in the 2021 Texas legislative session? Marques said it should be business as usual.
“Regardless of this scandal, the fundamental political dynamics haven’t changed for LGBTQ Texans,” she said. “After the 2018 election, it is clear that Texans want to elect and be represented by pro-equality candidates. And it’s clearer than ever that Texans have no appetite for discrimination.
“We will be working closely with our state partners to ensure that even more pro-equality lawmakers are elected in 2020,” Marques said.
The 2019 session saw the number of LGBT members of the Legislature increase from two to five. They formed the state’s first LGBT Caucus, which is led by Chairwoman Mary Gonzalez, D-Clint.
Like Marques, Mary Gonzalez noted many pro-LGBT bills were heard in committee for the first time this year.
“We got hearings on the conversion therapy ban for teenagers 18 and younger,” she said, referring to a bill filed by Israel, who is lesbian. Another bill adding hate crimes protections for transgender individuals, introduced by County Affairs Committee Chairman Garnet Coleman, D-Houston, was also heard, although neither passed out of committee.
Still, Mary Gonzalez said, “I’m glad we got the ball moving forward.”
And while the goal next session should be getting that ball across the finish line, the Senate remains a barrier to progress, the El Paso lawmaker noted.
While Democrats picked up two seats in the upper chamber in 2018, the Republican caucus is far more conservative there, thanks to the efforts of groups like Empower Texans. Democrats predict they will only pick up one seat — a sprawling district stretching from West Texas and into San Antonio that is currently held by Sen. Pete Flores of Pleasanton. Flores became the first Republican to hold the seat since its inception after winning a summer special election.
With Bonnen gone, Democrats are also now aggressively recruiting candidates to oppose those Republicans they see as vulnerable. For the first time in two decades, Democrats are close to seizing control of the lower chamber; they need to claim nine seats.
Sam Robles, advocacy director of Progress Texas, which supports LGBT rights, thinks a Democratic-controlled House is possible.
“The Republican Party is losing their grip on political power with the rise of young people, women of color, and people of color taking back Texas,” she said. And if that happens, Bonnen’s absence won’t mean nearly as much on LGBT issues.
