Houston Equal Rights Ordinance Case Study

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Thomas Jefferson once said in a speech, “Equal rights for all, special privileges for none” (Equal Rights). This saying states the importance of protecting each individual’s equal rights, but not allowing special privileges to a certain individual or class. HERO is the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance that “prohibits discrimination on the basis of protected characteristics in city employment, city services, city contracting practices, housing, public accommodations, and private employment...” (City of Houston). The Houston Equal Rights Ordinance should not pass in this city because it allows the Mayor, Annise Parker, to abuse her power in office, admit transgender men and women to enter the opposite gender restroom, and the rights the ordinance is claiming to protect is already protected by federal and state laws.
The passing of HERO would express that Houstonians are content with the mayor abusing her power in office. Annise Parker, our openly lesbian mayor, is serving her final term this year in Houston. She has made it her goal to establish an ordinance in Houston that …show more content…

It also allows a loophole for registered sex offenders to enter women’s bathrooms on their behalf which endangers women and children. The mayor is abusing her power to push personal agendas upon the city of Houston. The reason this ordinance should not pass and people of Houston should oppose HERO is to show retaliation of someone in office overstepping boundaries; not because the city of Houston is intolerant and discriminatory. The people of Houston should not be content with the passing of this ordinance because it hands out permission to the mayor to push her beliefs to give special privileges particularly to the LGBT community. So opposing the ordinance and voting no on the ballots will prove that the people of Houston will not tolerate any elected official to abuse their

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