THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD
(apologies to Keith Olbermann)
Lance Berkman
From my friend, Theo Kaht:
HERO protects people in employment, housing and business services on the basis of 15 different characteristics, including sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, familial status, marital status, military status, religion, disability, sexual orientation, genetic information, gender identity and pregnancy. When HERO passed in 2014, it was supported by more than 80 current and former elected officials, community and non-profit organizations, major corporations, and more than 70 local faith leaders. While Houston is the most diverse city in the country, it is also the only city of its size in the country lacking an equal rights ordinance. After HERO was signed into law, the Texas legislature introduced an unprecedented onslaught of more than 20 anti-LGBT bills.
As diffficult as it may be to believe, here in the 21st century there are still bigots and homophobes among us far too concerned with the private lives of others and who continue to traffic in fear, ignorance, and hatred. There are those, like former Houston Astros star Lance Berkman, so consumed by their own prejudice that they’d do and/or say whatever they deemed necessary in order to force their narrow, fear- and ignorance-based agenda on others.
In this case, it’s the fight over the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance, passed by the City Council in May, 2014. HERO is hardly an example of secular Liberal overreach. It simply states that “all persons living in, working in or visiting the City are entitled to be treated with equal dignity and respect and have the right to be free from discriminatory and unequal treatment.” Unfortunately, there are many who, like Berkman, so fear the “ick factor” that they will spread whatever lies and disinformation they believe necessary and appropriate to ensure that they get to define “equality” as something that by law only applies to straight White Christians. All others need not apply and should simply accept that because their lifestyle and/or sexuality runs counter to “God’s Law,” they deserve to be treated as second-class citizens.
Berkman’s argument against HERO, which is on the November 3rd ballot in Houston, is truly the product of a sick, hateful mind who sees nothing wrong with forcing his narrow religious beliefs on all Houstonians:
Lance Berkman, former Houston Astros star and Texas native, has waded into the fight for LGBT protections, sharing his views in a new ad campaign this week. At the center of Berkman’s concern is Houston’s Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO), a nondiscrimination law similar to those on the books in cities across the country and the subject of an intense debate leading up to the November 3 vote.
Berkman is focused on the part of the law that applies to public accommodations like bathrooms; he echoes the anti-trans rhetoric used by HERO’s opponents as he urges Houston residents to vote against the measure, invoking his four daughters and his desire to protect them from “troubled men” going into women’s restrooms.
“Proposition 1, the bathroom ordinance, would allow troubled men to enter women’s public bathrooms, showers, and locker rooms. This would violate their privacy and put them in harm’s way,” he says in the ad, produced by Campaign for Houston.
In an accompanying video Berkman adds, “It’s crazy and it kinda makes me want to say… Wake up, America! That’s what I want to scream at people because I mean, what are we doing here? We have the potential for men going into a women’s bathroom. The very few people that this could even be slanted as discriminating against, is it worth putting the majority of the population at risk?”
What Berkman fails to acknowledge- because it doesn’t support his argument- is that a “troubled” transgender individual is no more or less likely to venture into the “wrong” bathroom that a “troubled” heterosexual. In fact, given the small population of transgender individuals, it’s arguably far MORE likely that a “troubled” heterosexual male poses a greater threat to “the majority of the population at risk.” The fact that Berkman can’t cite examples (because there aren’t any) matters not at all, because the truth matters only to godless Liberals.
HERO “protects Houston residents and visitors against discrimination based on a wide range of characteristics, including sex, race, religion, and gender identity.” A reasonable person would very likely look at the “Equal Rights” part of the ordinance’s title and rightly conclude that HERO is about treating people with respect and dignity. Despite being one of the most diverse cities in the country, Houston is also a cesspool of hatred and homophobia. In most cases, the self-righteous disrespect is spread by self-professed “Christians” who honor the teachings of their Lord and Savior in the same Timothy McVeigh was about nonviolent resistance. The opposition to HERO isn’t about the teachings of Jesus Christ; it’s about ignorance, fear, and hatred on the part of those who believe God is on their side…despite having no theological basis for their enmity.
There’s no statistical evidence to supports Berkman’s claim that transgender individuals are prone to be predators. This sort of fear-mongering is how those who refuse to accept that those who think, believe, live, and/or love differently are no more of a threat to “good and decent” people than they are. This isn’t about threats that actually exist; it’s about those who have conflated fear, ignorance, and hatred with their religious faith.
Even as Berkman’s odious and errant views are getting a public airing due to his celebrity, Major League Baseball is making LGBT inclusion a priority this year. The truth is that Berkman and his fellow hate-mongers don’t represent the majority of Americans, or even the majority of Houstonians. That said, they have no problem with the idea of working to force their narrow agenda on all of us.
Even Houston’s business community understands the importance of HERO. They recognize that unless they can demonstrate that their business operates in a city which guarantees equal rights for ALL, the task of recruiting and retaining talent will become far more difficult and expensive.
Nancy Furst, chair of the Houston Association of Realtors, speaks for an increasing number of Houston businesses in HAR’s endorsement of HERO:
The Houston Association of Realtors sees HERO as an extension of the Code of Ethics to which licensed Realtors must adhere each day to ensure the fair and ethical treatment of all real estate consumers. Our 31,000-member association respects and celebrates Houston’s diverse population, and we believe HERO complements the Realtor commitment to conduct business without discrimination of any kind.
HAR’s endorsement goes on to note that more than 200 cities across the U.S. have ordinances similar to HERO…yet none of these cities report an increase in public safety issues of the sort Berkman fears.
Other prominent business organizations and people have come out in support of the ordinance. The Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Greater Houston Partnership, and the Hotel and Lodging Association of Greater Houston announced their support on Sept. 17.
The truth is that, as 200 American cities can attest, equal rights is good for everyone. Creating an environment in which ALL are guaranteed equal treatment in opportunity, accommodations, and employment means that all people, especially those who fall within a minority class, can live and work free of fear and safe in the knowledge they can count on being treated as full and equal members of society.
That Berkman and those who think like him would take Houston in the other direction should be cause for shame…but that would presume that the haters and fear-mongers are capable of feeling shame.
