WATCH LIVE: Transgender ‘Bathroom Wars’ Return to Texas

Anti-LGBT Group Says City’s Proposed EEO Policy Amounts to ‘Bathroom War on City Property’ 

UPDATE: Watch the Mesquite City Council meeting live here. Click on the link that says live, looks like this:

 

ORIGINAL POST: 

The City Council in the Dallas suburb of Mesquite, Texas, is set to vote Monday on whether to update its Equal Employment Opportunity Policy to include LGBT municipal workers. 

Under the proposal, sexual orientation, gender identity and pregnancy would be added as protected classes under the policy’s definition of sex. Here’s the text of Mesquite’s new proposed EEO policy statement: 

The City of Mesquite, Texas (“City”) is an equal employment opportunity employer. The City does not discriminate against employees or job applicants on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, political affiliation or belief, military status, or any other status or condition protected by applicable federal, state and/or local law. This policy extends to all terms, conditions and privileges of employment including, without limitation, hiring, promotion, discharge, compensation, fringe benefits, job training, classification, and all other aspects of employment.

The policy would bring Mesquite into line with federal law, including both case law saying LGBT government employees are covered by the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of equal protection, as well as Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which courts have recently said includes both sexual orientation and gender identity. 

However, not surprisingly, one anti-LGBT group is attempting to hijack the proposal into a debate over transgender restroom use. 

Jonathan Saenz (photo) president of Texas Values, said in a news release Monday that the policy “will open up bathrooms, showers, and locker rooms to the opposite sex on city property such as City Hall, libraries, city swimming pools and recreation centers.” 

“This dangerous ordinance forces every woman and girl in the City of Mesquite to be put in an uncomfortable and dangerous situation every time they use the restroom, shower, or locker room on city property,” Saenz said. “Just like the City of Houston, and Fort Worth I.S.D., the City of Mesquite is pushing their own irresponsible agenda which is not in line with state law, nor is it in the best interest of their citizens. We urge the Mesquite City Council to reject this proposal immediately.” 

Mesquite received a score of zero out of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign’s 2015 Municipal Equality Index, which rates cities based on LGBT inclusion. The addition of protections for LGBT city employees would give Mesquite six points on next year’s MEI, assuming that HRC maintains the same scoring system. 

The Mesquite City Council, which represents about 144,000 people, meets at 5:30 p.m. CDT (6:30 p.m. EDT) today. Stay tuned to The New Civil Rights Movement for updates. 

 

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Image by The Texas Tribune via Flickr and a CC license