Why does Houston need an Equal Rights Ordinance? All residents of and visitors to the city should be treated fairly and equally by the laws of our city. All hardworking people in Houston should have the chance to earn a living and provide for their families without fear of being red for reasons that have nothing to do with their job performance. Every person deserves a shot at the American Dream. Arbitrary discrimination against any individual or group is detrimental to the peace, progress, and welfare of the city and ill-suits a community that values diversity. A citywide ERO strengthens the community by fostering an atmosphere of respect and inclusivity. It sends the message that Houston is a welcoming place to live, work, and raise a family. Cities with EROs signal to employers and employees alike that their communities are welcome and celebrate diversity. 89% of Fortune 500 companies have inclusive non-discrimination policies because they know it helps attract and retain the best talent.

What other cities have an equivalent to an ERO? Over 190 cities, counties and towns have enacted legislation that protects citizens from discrimination. Atlanta, Baltimore, Charleston, Memphis, Miami, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Phoenix, and St. Louis are a few of the most well-known cities. In Texas, Austin, Dallas, El Paso, Ft. Worth and San Antonio all provide protections for citizens against discrimination.

Governments first duty is to protect the people, not run their lives. Ronald Reagan

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The purpose of an ERO is to protect and safeguard the right and opportunity of all persons to be free from all forms of discrimination, including discrimination based on real or perceived race, color, ethnicity, national origin,age, sex, gender identity, gender expression, religion, sexual orientation, disability, marital or family status, genetic information, political beliefs and veterans status. It will ensure that all persons within the City have equal access to employment (both private and public), housing, and public accommodations. Laws against discrimination do not prevent employers from ring incompetent employees and do not prevent landlords from turning down unqualied renters. These laws simply ensure that all people get a chance to be judged on their merits.

The goal is to protect people fromarbitrary discrimination.

Challenges for LGBT workers LGBT workers can put their job prospects atrisk if they disclose that they are LGBT while looking for work. An LGBT employee may be in a workplacethat is blatantly hostile and/or one where employers look the other way and allow adiscriminatory climate to ourish. A lack of legal protections means that LGBT workers typically have no recoursefor reporting discrimination. In 16 statesand the District of Columbia, discriminationbased on sexual orientation, gender identityand gender expression are prohibited. Texas currently oers no employment protections. Polls show that Americans with lowereducation levels are more likely to identifyas LGBT than college graduates - underscoring the need for protections in private employment. Without a city department that registers complaints and tracks discrimination, it is hard to quantify how much discrimination takes place. People have no opportunity to report behavior that isnt illegal, which is one of the reasons why the city needs a Human Rights Commission that can monitor and address instances of discrimination.

of Texans support prohibitingdiscrimination in employment and housing based on sexual orientation.

of Houstonians recognize that LGBT citizens are seeking equal rights, not special rights.

75.8%

61.3%

*Equality Texas 2013 Statewide Survey

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Where does your city council district fall on an Equal Rights Ordinance?

Question 1: Would you support a city ordinance making it illegal to re someone or deny housing in Houston to any person solely because he or she is gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender?

Question 2:If Houston passes a city ordinance makingit illegal to re an employee solely because they aregay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, do you think itshould apply to all employees or just public employeeswho work for the city of Houston?

Below are the percentages of respondents who answered in the positive:

DISTRICT

A Q1:Q2: 72.6%all - 71.2%DISTRICT

B Q1:Q2: 84.7%all - 77.8%DISTRICT

C Q1:Q2: 79.4%all - 74.0%DISTRICT

D Q1:Q2: 93.0%all - 91.7%DISTRICT

E Q1:Q2: 76.7%all - 76.7%DISTRICT

F Q1:Q2: 76.4%all - 70.8%DISTRICT

G Q1:Q2: 75.4%all - 69.9%DISTRICT

H Q1:Q2: 78.1%all - 83.6%DISTRICT

I Q1:Q2: 84.9%all - 79.5%DISTRICT

J Q1:Q2: 68.5%all - 72.6%DISTRICT

K Q1:Q2: 80.8%all - 80.8%

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Equality is the soul of liberty; there is, in fact,no liberty without it. Frances Wright

*Source: Equality Texas, 2013 District Polling

Transgender citizens deserve the chance to support their families

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Why Houstons EROmust protect gender identity & gender expression.

Gender non-conforming workers report unemployment at

the rate of the population as a whole.

2xs

14% vs 7%

44%of transgender peoplewho are currently working are underemployed.

A lot of people tell meIm lucky because I pass and am considered beautiful as a transgender woman, but... I sure dont feel lucky. Im always fearful every time I step out the door into the real world, that someone will harass or physically harm me.

EROs protect those who need it the most.The National TransgenderDiscrimination Survey,produced by the NationalCenter for TransgenderEquality and the Gayand Lesbian Task Force, shows that discriminationprotections for transgender people are greatly needed in thescope of publicaccommodations.

Discrimination againsttransgender people is pervasive.

People of color in general fare worse than Anglo participants with African American transgender respondents faring worse than all others in many areas.

Near universal harassment on the job: Ninety percent (90%) of those surveyed reported experiencing harassment or mistreatment on the job or took actions to avoid it. Considerable loss of jobs and careers: Forty-seven percent (47%) said they had experienced an adverse job outcome, such as being red, not hired or denied a promotion because of being transgender/gender non-conforming; 26% of respondents said that they had lost a job due tobeing transgender or gender non-conforming. Race multiplies the eect of discrimination: For Black, Latino/a, American Indian and multiracial respondents, discrimination in the workplace was even more pervasive, sometimes resulting in up to twice or three times the rates of various negative outcomes. Living in dire poverty: Fifteen percent (15%) of our respondents reported a household income under $10,000/year, nearly four times the rate of this category for the general population. Those who lost a job due to bias lived at this level of poverty at six times the rate of the general population. Large majorities attempted to avoid discrimination by hiding their gender or gender transition (71%) or delaying their gender transition (57%). The vast majority (78%) of those who transitioned from one gender to the other reported that they felt more comfortable at work and their job performance improved.

*Source: National TransgenderDiscrimination Survey

Sources and CreditsStatistics and information within this resource guidehave been gathered from the sources listed below:

A Broken Bargain: Discrimination, Fewer Benets and More Taxes for LGBT WorkersCAUSA - Community Alliance for a United San Antonio

Equality TexasThe Gay and Lesbian Task Force

The Human Rights CampaignInjustice at Every Turn: A Report of the National Transgender Discrimination Survey

Movement Advancement ProjectNational Center for Transgender Equality

Outsmart MagazineTransgender Education Network of Texas

Available for download online at www.HoustonStonewallYD.comPaid Pol. Adv. by Houston Stonewall Young Democrats PAC, Treasurer Chad Holmes