Tag Archives: John Wright

Texoblogosphere: Week of December 22nd

The Texas Progressive Alliance wishes Ag Commissioner Sid Miller a happy holiday as it brings you this week’s roundup.

Off the Kuff reviews who filed for what in the Democratic primaries in Texas.

The Green Party of Texas filed almost sixty candidates for state and local offices for the 2016 election, reports PDiddie at Brains and Eggs.

SocraticGadfly dips into the archives and offers up thoughts on that Christmas chestnut “It’s a Wonderful Life,” including what a remake might look like, and a follow-up post about all of what’s wrong with the original.

Greg Abbott reacts to children coming to America by sending troops. Obama looks at solving problems in Central America. CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme is disgusted that the only tools Republicans have are military force, fear and hate.

Neil at All People Have Value said that we would be better off with the values of Christmas rather than with the values of commerce. APHV is part of NeilAquino.com.

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And here are some posts of interest from other Texas blogs.

Mean Rachel wishes Rep. Elliott Naishtat a fond farewell.

Texas Watch is pressing the TEA for more information about school bus safety.

Next City believes that urbanists will like Houston Mayor-elect Sylvester Turner.

Christopher Hooks analyzes the recent mock mass shooting.

Chris Brantner has some advice for cable cord cutters.

John Wright proposes five New Year’s resolutions for the LGBT movement.

Paradise in Hell tries to distinguish between Ted Cruz’s lies.

Kyle Jack lists outgoing Houston Mayor Annise Parker’s top ten snarky tweets.

Bayou Bend Xmas

Today’s feature photo is of the Holiday lights at Bayou Bend— a division of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston.  The lights display entitled Christmas Village, runs now through December 30th.

Texoblogosphere: Week of November 10th

The Texas Progressive Alliance believes that it’s not whether you stumble that matters but whether you get up and keep going as it brings you this week’s roundup.

As the Fifth Circuit gets set to hear arguments over Texas’ ban on same sex marriage, Off the Kuff reminds us that public opinion is much more favorable towards same sex marriage in Texas now.

Libby Shaw writing for Daily Kos and Texas Kaos believes that although we lost this election, big time, giving up is not an option. We Lost the Election but We Are Not Giving Up.

The first beatings in the Republican takeover in Harris County were administered at their election night watch party, as the media that dared to speak during a prayer experienced first-hand the love of Christ and his believers. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs wonders if assaulting a reporter on camera, physically or verbally, is really what Jesus would do.

Despite the ugly results from last Tuesday, CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme refuses to be discouraged. We learn from our mistakes. PS: The Valley went for Davis.

From WCNews at Eye on Williamson. Less than 30% of eligible voters turned out to vote in the 2014 mid-terms in Texas. Needless to say, 2014 Turnout Was Horrible.

Election night may have been tough for Democrats, but it was a big win for the Minimum Wage. This got Texas Leftist wondering… If poorer states like Arkansas and Nebraska can raise wages for their citizens, why can’t Texas’ major cities like Houston, Dallas Austin, San Antonio and El Paso do the same? With skyrocketing costs of living, our citizens definitely can’t survive on $7.25.

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And here are some posts of interest from other Texas blogs.

Hair Balls informs us that the Fifth Circuit wasn’t always a judicial wingnut backwater.

John Wright updates us on Connie Wilson’s efforts to get a drivers license that properly uses her wife’s surname.

The Lunch Tray divines what the elections mean for school food.

Nonsequiteuse has a message for those who would dump on Battleground Texas.

Texas Vox says that just because air is better doesn’t mean it’s good.

 

(feature photo is of the Caldwell County Courthouse in Lockhart, Texas. Credit:  Tom’s Texas County Courthouses)

Caldwell County Courthouse

DPS Discrimination: Texan Refused License Over Marriage Certificate

In the business of everyday life, it’s sometimes easy for LGBT Texans to forget about the huge inequalities that they face due to state government.  If you haven’t been fired because of your sexuality, you may not think it’s a problem for others, or just not feel the need to act strongly on the issue.

But this week, John Wright of the Texas Observer notes the story of one family’s struggle which hits painfully close to home.  A Texas woman and legal, licensed driver in her former home state of California was denied the ability to obtain a Texas license, simply because her official state-issued marriage certificate revealed that she is LGBT…

After Connie Wilson married her partner of nine years in California last year, she took her wife’s last name, Wilson, which now appears on both her California driver’s license and her Social Security card, in addition to all of the couple’s financial and medical records.

This summer, the couple relocated to the Houston area with their three children for work. With her California driver’s license nearing expiration, Wilson took her documents to a DPS office in Katy last week to obtain a Texas driver’s license. When a DPS employee noticed that Wilson’s name didn’t match her birth certificate, she produced the couple’s California marriage license identifying her spouse as Aimee Wilson.

“Her only words to me were, ‘Is this same-[sex]?’” Connie Wilson recalled. “I remember hesitating for probably 10 seconds. I didn’t know how to answer. I didn’t want to lie, but I knew I was in trouble because I wasn’t going to be able to get a license.”

Wilson eventually responded that although California doesn’t differentiate, she happened to be married to a woman.

“She immediately told me, ‘You can’t use this to get your license. This doesn’t validate your last name. Do you have anything else?’” Wilson said. “She told me I would never get a license with my current name, that the name doesn’t belong to me.”

Texas has both a state statute and a constitutional amendment prohibiting recognition of same-sex marriages from other states. However, Wilson contends she isn’t asking DPS to recognize her marriage, but rather trying to obtain an accurate driver’s license reflecting her legal name according to the state of California and the U.S. government.

“I’ve been deprived the freedom to drive a vehicle once my current California driver’s license expires,” Wilson said. “I’m further being deprived the freedom to use air travel, make purchases that require a valid photo identification, seek medical attention for myself or my children, as well as other situations that would require proving who I am legally as an individual.”

Just so we are clear, California is just as much a part of the United States of America as any other state.  Yet, according to Texas law, our DPS workers apparently have the right to discriminate between official documents from other states just based on the names listed.  How is it possible that DPS workers accept one California marriage license as documentation, but then turn around and refuse another simply because the persons listed may be of the same sex??  This is absolute discrimination.  You can be certain that Mrs. Wilson, with the help of Equality Texas and other groups, will pursue this issue to the fullest extent of the law, as they should.

Beyond discrimination, this action is a violation of the United States Constitution, under the “Privileges and Immunities Clause”.  Here’s  Article IV, Section II from the Articles of Confederation, via the Cornell University Law School Page

Section 2.

The citizens of each state shall be entitled to all privileges and immunities of citizens in the several states.

A license is a legal privilege as given by a state.  So for Texas to refuse recognition of a privilege granted in California is an act directly against the Constitution.  This is an offense made all the worse due to direct discrimination committed by Texas DPS.