The 25 gayt ci Texas - Dallas Voice

Contents:

• TEXAS GOP'S NEW PLATFORM LLS GAY PEOPLE 'ABNORMAL' AND REJECTS TRANS INTI
• THE “GAYBORHOODS” OF TEXAS
• GAY TEXAS
• GAYT PLAC IN TEXAS FOR 2020
• THE 25 GAYT CI TEXAS
• MOVG TO GAY TEXAS? THG TO KNOW BEFORE RELOTG HERE AS AN LGBT PERSON.

TEXAS GOP'S NEW PLATFORM LLS GAY PEOPLE 'ABNORMAL' AND REJECTS TRANS INTI

The Texas Republin Party unveiled s official posn on LGBTQ issu over the weekend, fg homosexualy as an "abnormal liftyle choice" and also opposg "all efforts to validate transgenr inty. "Thoands of Republin activists met at the party’s biennial nventn Hoton on Saturday to agree to the party's platform on a range of issu, cludg the rejectn of the 2020 electn rults and a ll to repeal of the 1965 Votg Right Act, which was enacted to prevent discrimatn agast Black a sectn tled "Homosexualy and genr issu, " the party suggted that LGBTQ people should not be legally protected om discrimatn and that beg gay or trans is a choice.

THE “GAYBORHOODS” OF TEXAS

"Homosexualy is an abnormal liftyle choice, " the 40-page rolutn reads. "We believe there should be no grantg of special legal entlements or creatn of special stat for homosexual behavr, regardls of state of orig, and we oppose any crimal or civil penalti agast those who oppose homosexualy out of fah, nvictn, or belief tradnal valu.

"The Texas Republin Party blocked the Log Cab Republins, a longstandg group of gay nservativ — which also supports many of the party’s anti-LGBTQ polici — om havg a booth at Saturday's nventn. "The party's new official stance on sexual orientatn and genr inty also cis wh a recent natnwi surge charged rhetoric om media punds and policians about LGBTQ recent months, nservative lawmakers, televisn punds and other public figur have acced opponents of a newly enacted Florida tn legislatn — which crics have dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” law — of tryg to “groom” or “doctrate” children. The word “groomg” has long been associated wh mischaracterizg LGBTQ people, particularly gay men and transgenr women, as child sex abers.

They were among several bills the Legislature nsired that would brg major chang to the liv of gay and transgenr Texans. But the lower chamber didn’t brg the amend legislatn up for nsiratn, killg the Senate’s third attempt at phg what crics dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” provisn.

GAY TEXAS

Crics say the provisns about LGBTQ lsons — patterned on ntroversial “Don’t Say Gay” law om Florida — nta vague language that uld stifle even rmal discsn about LGBTQ people, such as teachers discsg their same-sex spo.

The Republin Party of Texas, which oppos any efforts to validate transgenr inti and claims that homosexualy is “an abnormal liftyle choice, ” also nsirs banng the “teachg, exposure, and/or discsn of sexual matters (mechanics, feelgs, orientatn, or ‘genr inty’ issu)” to be a legislative prry. One bill signalg a shift opn toward the LGBTQ muny was Hoe Bill 2055, which would have repealed the state law crimalizg gay sex.

GAYT PLAC IN TEXAS FOR 2020

Venton Jon, a Dallas Democrat who is the first Black, gay and openly HIV-posive lawmaker to serve at the Capol. Texas’ “gayborhoods” aren’t jt neighborhoods wh rabow-pated crosswalks at their tersectns; they’re historic muni where Texas pri and gay pri tersect ever-fascatg unison. Their one-of-a-kd rtrants, vivac nightclubs, and lovable lols crown the gayborhoods as attractive statns—no matter where you fall on the sexualy spectm.

THE 25 GAYT CI TEXAS

In 1947, one of the first gay bars Texas, Club Reno, opened Dallas, heraldg the cy’s LGBTQ muny as one of the earlit to form the state.

As that group grew to over 3, 000 while marchg through downtown, Dallas beme the se of the first gay pri para all of Texas. The marker ss at “The Gay Crossroads, ” loted at the tersectn of Throckmorton Street and Cedar Sprgs. The sign’s backdrop is JR’s Bar & Grill, an inic gay club that has served Amerin eats sce 1980 wh regular drag queen and celebry appearanc.

Next door is Statn 4, known to lols as S4, a 24, 000-square-foot nightclub and gay utopia sce 1986.

MOVG TO GAY TEXAS? THG TO KNOW BEFORE RELOTG HERE AS AN LGBT PERSON.

Also at “The Gay Crossroads” tersectn is Sue Ellen’s, nsired to be the olst lbian bar the state. The Montrose neighborhood Hoton was found 1911 and had an timated 30 to 40 gay bars by the late ’70s. In June of 1977, LGBTQ advote Ray Hill anized a rally prott of sger and anti-gay activist Ana Bryant visg the cy.

More than 1, 000 people showed up, which began the gay liberatn movement Montrose and led Hill to help tablish The Montrose Center, an anizatn still operatg today that foc not only on advocy but also on offerg rourc to the muny.

Ls than five wt downtown, Montrose featur gayborhood stapl like permanently stalled rabow crosswalks and historic saloons. RIPCORD opened 1980 and has the distctn of beg the olst gay leather bar Texas.