Twenty years after a breakthrough Texas se lnched a new era of gay rights, trans people are still the fight - Raw Story - Celebratg 19 Years of Inpennt Journalism

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• SIX TEXAS LAWSUS TARGET GAY MARRIAGE, LGBT RIGHTS AFTER THE FALL OF ROE V. WAJONATHAN MCHELL, THE LAWYER WHO HELPED WRE THE ABORTN BOUNTY LAW, IS BEHD SEVERAL S THAT ULD ADVERSELY AFFECT LGBT RIGHTS. THE CY OF DALLAS' PRI FLAG (RIGHT) FLI ALONGSI THE TEXAS AND U.S. FLAGS OUTSI OF CY HALL DOWNTOWN DALLAS, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2020 HONOR OF PRI MONTH. TEXAS IS POISED TO BEE A BATTLEGROUND FOR LGBT RIGHTS, AS NO FEWER THAN A HALF DOZEN LAWSUS ON THE ISSUE HAVE BEEN FILED BY THE STATE'S FORMER SOLICOR GENERAL OVER THE ISSUE RECENT YEARS. (TOM FOX/THE DALLAS MORNG NEWS)(TOM FOX / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)BY LREN MCGGHY7:00 AM ON JUL 21, 2022 CDTAUSTIN — IN THE WAKE OF THE TOPPLG OF ROE VS. WA AND WH JTICE CLARENCE THOMAS URGG THE U.S. SUPREME COURT TO REVIS LGS ON GAY SEX AND MARRIAGE, TEXAS IS THE STAGE FOR SEVERAL LAWSUS ALG WH LGBT RIGHTS.RIGHT NOW, A HALF DOZEN S ON EVERYTHG OM SURANCE VERAGE FOR HIV PREVENTN TO EMPLOYMENT DISCRIMATN AND SAME-SEX MARRIAGE ARE WENDG THEIR WAY THROUGH STATE AND FERAL URTS HERE. THEIR OUT ULD RADILLY ALTER RIGHTS FOR LBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENR PEOPLE TEXAS AND ACROSS THE UNTRY.ADVERTISEMENTTHE LAWSUS ALL HAVE ONE THG MON: FORMER TEXAS SOLICOR GENERAL JONATHAN MCHELL.ADVERTISEMENTBT KNOWN AS THE MAN BEHD THE STATE LAW THAT ALLOWS TEXANS TO FILE CIVIL LAWSUS AGAST PEOPLE WHO HELP PREGNANT PEOPLE GET ABORTNS, MCHELL OPENED UP A LAW FIRM AT FOUR YEARS AGO WH THE GOAL OF SYSTEMATILLY DISMANTLG S OF URT LGS HE BELIEV PART OM THE U.S. CONSTUTN.BREAKG NEWSGET THE LATT BREAKG NEWS OM NORTH TEXAS AND BEYOND.EMAIL ADDRSBY SIGNG UP YOU AGREE TO OUR TERMS OF SERVICE AND PRIVACY POLICYSUBMITTHE DALLAS MORNG NEWS IS TRACKG SIX OF HIS S THAT ORIGATED TEXAS AND AL WH LGBT RIGHTS. HERE’S A SUMMARY OF EACH SE.RELATED:AFTER ROE, ARCHECT OF TEXAS ABORTN LAW SETS SIGHTS ON GAY MARRIAGE AND MOREADVERTISEMENTGAY MARRIAGEDIANNE HENSLEY VS. STATE COMMISSN ON JUDICIAL CONDUCT (THIRD COURT OF APPEALS)BRIAN KEH UMPHRS VS. DAVID HALL, ET AL. (NORTHERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS)ADVERTISEMENTSUMMARY: BOTH OF THE S WERE BROUGHT BY TEXAS OFFICIALS WH THE THORY TO PERFORM WEDDGS BUT WHO DO NOT WANT TO OFFER MARRIAG TO SAME-SEX UPL BEE THEY SAY VLAT THEIR RELIG BELIEFS.ADVERTISEMENTONE SE STATE URT, FILED BY MCLENNAN COUNTY JTICE OF THE PEACE DIANNE HENSELY, ARGU THAT MARRIAGE OFFICIANTS WHO ARE ERNMENT OFFICIALS SHOULD BE ABLE TO RECE THEMSELV OM PERFORMG CEREMONI FOR GAY UPL IF THE UPL HAVE A VIABLE ALTERNATIVE OPTN TO BE WED. THE OTHER SE, FERAL URT AND FILED BY JACK COUNTY JUDGE BRIAN KEH UMPHRS, MAK A SIAR ARGUMENT.BUT THE UMPHRS SE GO FURTHER, ARGUG THAT THE U.S. SUPREME COURT ERRED WHEN CLARED GAY MARRIAGE BANS UNNSTUTNAL 2015. IT URG THE URT TO REVIS THAT CISN.“THERE IS NO NSTUTNAL RIGHT TO SAME-SEX MARRIAGE,” THE UMPHRS SE READS. “THE FERAL JUDICIARY HAS NO THORY TO REGNIZE OR VENT ‘FUNDAMENTAL’ NSTUTNAL RIGHTS.”ADVERTISEMENTUMPHRS’ SE IS AWAG A CISN OM THE FERAL APPEALS URT. HENSLEY’S SE IS BEFORE A STATE APPEALS URT AT.OTHER ACTORS: CHAD AND DTY FILLMORE OF FORT WORTH ARE ALSO LISTED AS LAWYERS FOR UMPHRS, AS ARE LAWYERS OM THE PLANO-BASED CHRISTIAN NONPROF LAW FIRM FIRST LIBERTY INSTUTE AND JACKSBORO-BASED FIRM SPILLER & SPILLER.POTENTIAL EFFECTS: IF MCHELL WS EHER SE, ERNMENTAL OFFICIALS WHO ARE MARRIAGE OFFICIANTS WOULD BE ABLE TO WED ONLY OPPOSE-SEX UPL. IF THE UMPHRS SE PROCEEDS, THE QUTN OF SAME-SEX MARRIAGE ULD AGA END UP BEFORE THE SUPREME COURT. IN HIS NCURRG OPN THE CISN OVERTURNG ROE LAST MONTH, CLARENCE THOMAS URGED HIS FELLOW JTIC TO TAKE UP THE ISSUE IF A SE QUTNG THE NSTUTNAL RIGHT TO GAY MARRIAGE PRENTS SELF.RELATED:IF ROE V. WA FALLS, ARE LGBT RIGHTS NEXT? ADVERTISEMENTINSURANCE MANDAT
• FIFTEEN YEARS AFTER LANDMARK GAY RIGHTS SE, SAME-SEX UPL TEXAS STILL FACE CHALLENG URT
• TEXAS JUDGE FIGHTS TO NY WEDDG CEREMONI TO GAY UPL
• JAGUARS ASSOCIATE STRENGTH ACH OUT AS GAY A FIRST FOR US-BASED PRO LEAGU
• TWENTY YEARS AFTER A BREAKTHROUGH TEXAS SE LNCHED A NEW ERA OF GAY RIGHTS, TRANS PEOPLE ARE STILL THE FIGHT
• TEXAS MAN WHO ED GRDR TO LURE AND ROB GAY MEN SENTENCED TO 23 YEARS PRISON
• TWENTY YEARS AFTER TEXAS SE LNCHED ERA OF GAY RIGHTS, TRANS PEOPLE ARE STILL THE FIGHT
• THE GAY CASE
• AFTER PENALIZG GAY TEACHER, MANSFIELD ISD AWARDS HER $100,000, PLANS VOTE TO BAN SEXUAL ORIENTATN DISCRIMATN
• ACLU HISTORY: LAWRENCE V. TEXAS: A WATERSHED FOR GAY RIGHTS
• ALLEGED 'GAY PANIC FENSE' TEXAS MURR TRIAL STUNS ADVOT
• JONATHAN GAY VS THE STATE OF TEXAS
• 8 LANDMARK S FOR GAY RIGHTS THE US

SIX TEXAS LAWSUS TARGET GAY MARRIAGE, LGBT RIGHTS AFTER THE FALL OF ROE V. WAJONATHAN MCHELL, THE LAWYER WHO HELPED WRE THE ABORTN BOUNTY LAW, IS BEHD SEVERAL S THAT ULD ADVERSELY AFFECT LGBT RIGHTS. THE CY OF DALLAS' PRI FLAG (RIGHT) FLI ALONGSI THE TEXAS AND U.S. FLAGS OUTSI OF CY HALL DOWNTOWN DALLAS, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2020 HONOR OF PRI MONTH. TEXAS IS POISED TO BEE A BATTLEGROUND FOR LGBT RIGHTS, AS NO FEWER THAN A HALF DOZEN LAWSUS ON THE ISSUE HAVE BEEN FILED BY THE STATE'S FORMER SOLICOR GENERAL OVER THE ISSUE RECENT YEARS. (TOM FOX/THE DALLAS MORNG NEWS)(TOM FOX / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)BY LREN MCGGHY7:00 AM ON JUL 21, 2022 CDTAUSTIN — IN THE WAKE OF THE TOPPLG OF ROE VS. WA AND WH JTICE CLARENCE THOMAS URGG THE U.S. SUPREME COURT TO REVIS LGS ON GAY SEX AND MARRIAGE, TEXAS IS THE STAGE FOR SEVERAL LAWSUS ALG WH LGBT RIGHTS.RIGHT NOW, A HALF DOZEN S ON EVERYTHG OM SURANCE VERAGE FOR HIV PREVENTN TO EMPLOYMENT DISCRIMATN AND SAME-SEX MARRIAGE ARE WENDG THEIR WAY THROUGH STATE AND FERAL URTS HERE. THEIR OUT ULD RADILLY ALTER RIGHTS FOR LBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENR PEOPLE TEXAS AND ACROSS THE UNTRY.ADVERTISEMENTTHE LAWSUS ALL HAVE ONE THG MON: FORMER TEXAS SOLICOR GENERAL JONATHAN MCHELL.ADVERTISEMENTBT KNOWN AS THE MAN BEHD THE STATE LAW THAT ALLOWS TEXANS TO FILE CIVIL LAWSUS AGAST PEOPLE WHO HELP PREGNANT PEOPLE GET ABORTNS, MCHELL OPENED UP A LAW FIRM AT FOUR YEARS AGO WH THE GOAL OF SYSTEMATILLY DISMANTLG S OF URT LGS HE BELIEV PART OM THE U.S. CONSTUTN.BREAKG NEWSGET THE LATT BREAKG NEWS OM NORTH TEXAS AND BEYOND.EMAIL ADDRSBY SIGNG UP YOU AGREE TO OUR TERMS OF SERVICE AND PRIVACY POLICYSUBMITTHE DALLAS MORNG NEWS IS TRACKG SIX OF HIS S THAT ORIGATED TEXAS AND AL WH LGBT RIGHTS. HERE’S A SUMMARY OF EACH SE.RELATED:AFTER ROE, ARCHECT OF TEXAS ABORTN LAW SETS SIGHTS ON GAY MARRIAGE AND MOREADVERTISEMENTGAY MARRIAGEDIANNE HENSLEY VS. STATE COMMISSN ON JUDICIAL CONDUCT (THIRD COURT OF APPEALS)BRIAN KEH UMPHRS VS. DAVID HALL, ET AL. (NORTHERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS)ADVERTISEMENTSUMMARY: BOTH OF THE S WERE BROUGHT BY TEXAS OFFICIALS WH THE THORY TO PERFORM WEDDGS BUT WHO DO NOT WANT TO OFFER MARRIAG TO SAME-SEX UPL BEE THEY SAY VLAT THEIR RELIG BELIEFS.ADVERTISEMENTONE SE STATE URT, FILED BY MCLENNAN COUNTY JTICE OF THE PEACE DIANNE HENSELY, ARGU THAT MARRIAGE OFFICIANTS WHO ARE ERNMENT OFFICIALS SHOULD BE ABLE TO RECE THEMSELV OM PERFORMG CEREMONI FOR GAY UPL IF THE UPL HAVE A VIABLE ALTERNATIVE OPTN TO BE WED. THE OTHER SE, FERAL URT AND FILED BY JACK COUNTY JUDGE BRIAN KEH UMPHRS, MAK A SIAR ARGUMENT.BUT THE UMPHRS SE GO FURTHER, ARGUG THAT THE U.S. SUPREME COURT ERRED WHEN CLARED GAY MARRIAGE BANS UNNSTUTNAL 2015. IT URG THE URT TO REVIS THAT CISN.“THERE IS NO NSTUTNAL RIGHT TO SAME-SEX MARRIAGE,” THE UMPHRS SE READS. “THE FERAL JUDICIARY HAS NO THORY TO REGNIZE OR VENT ‘FUNDAMENTAL’ NSTUTNAL RIGHTS.”ADVERTISEMENTUMPHRS’ SE IS AWAG A CISN OM THE FERAL APPEALS URT. HENSLEY’S SE IS BEFORE A STATE APPEALS URT AT.OTHER ACTORS: CHAD AND DTY FILLMORE OF FORT WORTH ARE ALSO LISTED AS LAWYERS FOR UMPHRS, AS ARE LAWYERS OM THE PLANO-BASED CHRISTIAN NONPROF LAW FIRM FIRST LIBERTY INSTUTE AND JACKSBORO-BASED FIRM SPILLER & SPILLER.POTENTIAL EFFECTS: IF MCHELL WS EHER SE, ERNMENTAL OFFICIALS WHO ARE MARRIAGE OFFICIANTS WOULD BE ABLE TO WED ONLY OPPOSE-SEX UPL. IF THE UMPHRS SE PROCEEDS, THE QUTN OF SAME-SEX MARRIAGE ULD AGA END UP BEFORE THE SUPREME COURT. IN HIS NCURRG OPN THE CISN OVERTURNG ROE LAST MONTH, CLARENCE THOMAS URGED HIS FELLOW JTIC TO TAKE UP THE ISSUE IF A SE QUTNG THE NSTUTNAL RIGHT TO GAY MARRIAGE PRENTS SELF.RELATED:IF ROE V. WA FALLS, ARE LGBT RIGHTS NEXT? ADVERTISEMENTINSURANCE MANDAT

Acrdg to the Texas judicial missn’s 2019 warng, Hensley referred gay upl who wanted her to pri over their marriage ceremony to other people who would officiate.

FIFTEEN YEARS AFTER LANDMARK GAY RIGHTS SE, SAME-SEX UPL TEXAS STILL FACE CHALLENG URT

Supreme Court to revis lgs on gay sex and marriage, Texas is the stage for several lawsus alg wh LGBT now, a half dozen s on everythg om surance verage for HIV preventn to employment discrimatn and same-sex marriage are wendg their way through state and feral urts here. Their out uld radilly alter rights for lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr people Texas and across the lawsus all have one thg mon: former Texas solicor general Jonathan known as the man behd the state law that allows Texans to file civil lawsus agast people who help pregnant people get abortns, Mchell opened up a law firm At four years ago wh the goal of systematilly dismantlg s of urt lgs he believ part om the U. (Northern District of Texas)Summary: Both of the s were brought by Texas officials wh the thory to perform weddgs but who do not want to offer marriag to same-sex upl bee they say vlat their relig se state urt, filed by McLennan County Jtice of the Peace Dianne Hensely, argu that marriage officiants who are ernment officials should be able to rece themselv om performg ceremoni for gay upl if the upl have a viable alternative optn to be wed.

TEXAS JUDGE FIGHTS TO NY WEDDG CEREMONI TO GAY UPL

In his ncurrg opn the cisn overturng Roe last month, Clarence Thomas urged his fellow jtic to take up the issue if a se qutng the nstutnal right to gay marriage prents self. ” The su also targets the Affordable Care Act’s mechanisms for cidg which re private surers mt ver, argug giv the feral agenci and other unelected bodi undue ntrol over cisns that should rema wh su specifilly mentns ntraceptn and the HIV preventn dgs known as PreP, which the platiffs say “facilate and enurage homosexual behavr, prostutn, sexual promiscuy, and traveno dg e.

June 26, 2023"Twenty years after a breakthrough Texas se lnched a new era of gay rights, trans people are still the fight" was first published by The Texas Tribune, a nonprof, nonpartisan media anizatn that rms Texans — and engag wh them — about public policy, polics, ernment and statewi up for The Brief, The Texas Tribune’s daily newsletter that keeps rears up to speed on the most sential Texas on a para float wdg s way through Montrose, the heart of Hoton’s LGBTQ+ muny, John Lawrence and Tyron Garner temporarily assumed the stat of queer ins when they served as grand marshals the cy’s 2003 Pri para.

JAGUARS ASSOCIATE STRENGTH ACH OUT AS GAY A FIRST FOR US-BASED PRO LEAGU

Jt days earlier, the two quiet men wh workg-class roots fed their nam to a pivotal moment Ameri’s gay rights movement. A ban on gay sex remas on the Texas books the 20 years sce, advot have secured major victori and cemented key rights cludg marriage equaly, employment protectns and the abily to serve the ary — victori that likely would not have been achieved whout the foundatn of Lawrence v.

TWENTY YEARS AFTER A BREAKTHROUGH TEXAS SE LNCHED A NEW ERA OF GAY RIGHTS, TRANS PEOPLE ARE STILL THE FIGHT

Notably, transgenr people still face discrimatn and vlence at higher rat than their lbian, gay and bisexual recent years, as trans people have gaed visibily the public sphere, faiar anti-LGBTQ+ trop have emerged efforts to alienate this muny. “They were jt good, average guys jt tryg to get through life wh the hand that was alt ’em, ” said Lane Lewis, a longtime gay rights activist Hoton who intified their se as an opportuny to challenge the state’s sodomy polil climate which Lawrence and Garner were arrted for allegedly havg sex was not iendly to LGBTQ+ Hotonians, Lewis relled.

TEXAS MAN WHO ED GRDR TO LURE AND ROB GAY MEN SENTENCED TO 23 YEARS PRISON

Cred: Danielle Villasana for The Texas TribuneIn 1991, a 27-year-old Hoton rint named Pl Brosard was murred a gay-bashg cint.

TWENTY YEARS AFTER TEXAS SE LNCHED ERA OF GAY RIGHTS, TRANS PEOPLE ARE STILL THE FIGHT

In rponse, the Hoton Police Department anized an unrver operatn Montrose to tch gay-bashers, but the effort was quickly disntued bee of safety risks to officers.

For s leadg up to that fateful arrt of Lawrence and Garner 1998, the Hoton Police Department sometim raid gay bars and harassed those ngregatg some of the only safe spac for LGBTQ+ people at the time. There were simply no protectns agast those forms of discrimatn, he, the LGBTQ+ activist, said overturng Texas’ anti-sodomy law wasn’t the end goal for the gay rights movement.

THE GAY CASE

“Can you image the Supreme Court wantg to protect the marriage rights of gay and lbian cizens when gays and lbians were still nsired crimals 13 stat? ”Lawrence and Garner were released om jail the day after the Lewis was faxed the police report om the arrt, he was stunned bee for so long the gay rights movement had been wag for a se like this one to appear.

Cred: Danielle Villasana for The Texas TribuneThe se was nsired a good one to challenge the nstutnaly of crimalizg homosexualy bee there was only one charge — based on Sectn 21. The State nnot mean their existence or ntrol their sty by makg their private sexual nduct a crime, ” Jtice Anthony Kennedy wrote his majory tablishg the precent that all of the nstutnal rights that were available to other people are now available for gay people — rights prevly nied unr the Bowers v. He died om plitns of a heart Lawrence cisn kicked off s of advanc civil rights for gay, lbian and bisexual people.

Yet the talyst for the gay rights movement, the 1969 Stonewall rts, were largely led by transgenr people of lor, a part of the LGBTQ+ muny that is still fightg for equal treatment. Seia of TENT said Lawrence set a precent for the right to privacy for lbian, gay and bisexual people, but the transgenr muny has not secured the same eedoms and protectns to privately make health re cisns.

AFTER PENALIZG GAY TEACHER, MANSFIELD ISD AWARDS HER $100,000, PLANS VOTE TO BAN SEXUAL ORIENTATN DISCRIMATN

“At a mimum, the laws are hangg on the wall like an uned whip, ” Carpenter the worst-se scenar, if the Supreme Court overturned Lawrence, nsensual gay sex uld aga be illegal Texas. PREVIOUS REPORT: 'I'll never get my baby back': Fay of woman killed crash on North Freeway angry over lossHoton police said Sarah Gay was toxited when she drove northbound the southbound lan of the I-45 North Freeway near the Whe Oak ex and h two rs.

One law profsor at the time said “removed the reflexive assumptn of gay people’s ferry, ” layg the legal groundwork for same-sex marriage.

ACLU HISTORY: LAWRENCE V. TEXAS: A WATERSHED FOR GAY RIGHTS

The lg “gave lbian, bisexual and gay people back their digny, ” said Cala Taylor, a Lambda Legal attorney who started wh the legal advocy group 2003, jt time to watch her lleague, Pl Smh — a gay man himself — argue Lawrence before the Supreme Court. Ten years later, June 26 beme an even more important tone for gay rights when the high urt stck down the Defense of Marriage Act.

When Lawrence me down 15 years ago, Mark Phariss was h off an unsuccsful ph for an anti-discrimatn ordance to protect gay cy employe San Anton. That Republin learship asked the state’s hight urt to take up another high-stak gay rights se — out of Hoton, like Lawrence – that’s bee an emblem of the state’s ntug culture wars. “That almost sual dismissal of the rights of gay people was characteristic of Texas urts before Lawrence, and appears to be characteristic of Texas state urts now, ” said Dale Carpenter, a Southern Methodist Universy law profsor who wrote a book on the Lawrence lg.

Smh expects he’ll spend next ssn on the fense agast measur like that one, as well as a slate of “relig refal” bills, which allow dividuals claimg “scere relig beliefs” to ny certa servic or products to gay upl. The se was nsired a good one to challenge the nstutnaly of crimalizg homosexualy bee there was only one charge — based on Sectn 21. A Texas man was sentenced to 23 years feral prison for g an LGBTQ datg app to m vlent hate crim agast gay men, officials said Jenks, 22, plead guilty June to mtg a seri of robberi, rjackgs and other crim the Dallas area December 2017, the Jtice Department said a statement.

ALLEGED 'GAY PANIC FENSE' TEXAS MURR TRIAL STUNS ADVOT

“This fendant targeted nocent victims for vlent crim simply bee he believed they were gay, ” the assistant attorney general for civil rights, Kristen Clarke, said a statement. In 2018, Egyptian thori and rints were wily reported to have ed Grdr and other datg apps to entrap and persecute gay than 20 percent of the 7, 554 sgle-bias hate crime cints reported last year were motivated by sexual-orientatn bias, acrdg to the FBI’s latt Hate Crime Statistics report. Notably, transgenr people still face discrimatn and vlence at higher rat than their lbian, gay and bisexual peers.

“They were jt good, average guys jt tryg to get through life wh the hand that was alt ’em, ” said Lane Lewis, a longtime gay rights activist Hoton who intified their se as an opportuny to challenge the state’s sodomy ban. Lewis, the LGBTQ+ activist, said overturng Texas’ anti-sodomy law wasn’t the end goal for the gay rights movement. When Lewis was faxed the police report om the arrt, he was stunned bee for so long the gay rights movement had been wag for a se like this one to appear.

JONATHAN GAY VS THE STATE OF TEXAS

By tablishg the precent that all of the nstutnal rights that were available to other people are now available for gay people — rights prevly nied unr the Bowers v. The men were arrted and jailed, eed only after postg $200 bond, The Hoton Chronicle men were charged and nvicted of engagg "homosexual nduct, " wh each fed $ men later appealed the nvictn, wh a Texas state urt lg 2000 that laws crimalizg same-sex sexual activy vlated the state nstutn. The 2003 cisn overturng state-level laws agast homosexualy is seen as an important precent that set the stage for the 2015 lg Obergefell v.

And, oh y, for the first time ever, the hight judicial body the land had clared that Amerins have a nstutnal right to engage what was genteelly referred to as “homosexual nduct. Four sheriff’s puti showed up, entered the rince, and, acrdg to their report, disvered Lawrence and Garner engagg a sexual act that vlated Texas’s homosexual nduct law and arrted them.

8 LANDMARK S FOR GAY RIGHTS THE US

But Lane Lewis, a bartenr at a Hoton gay bar, heard about the arrt—om a closeted sergeant the sheriff’s office who was a equent ctomer—and enuraged Lawrence to ntact a sympathetic lawyer. Though the arrt was an embarrassment for both men, was an answer to the prayers of anizatns fightg for gay rights.

And so their first act as “gay activists” was to plead no ntt stead of not guilty, orr to create a nstutnal tt the se ma to the Harris County Crimal Court, fense unsel found what regard as an unlikely ally: the chief prosecutor, Angela Jewel Beavers, was a lbian who regnized the importance of the se.

Raised Corp Christi, he clerked for Fifth Circu judge Edh Jon, practiced law wh the Hoton firm Vson and Elks, and served as print of the Texas Log Cab Republins, an anizatn voted to tegratg gays to the Republin party.