Photo illustration by Justin Cross/The Cougar
Democracy is a funny thing.
People say they want the right to have decisions made by popular vote, yet at the same time want the right to not exercise that right.
In a democratic society, how is anyone is okay with less than 30 percent of registered voters deciding for everyone?
With Texas being one of 33 states that has early voting, this gives voters an entire week, plus election day, to turnout and vote, and most of these polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. So, when I heard that only 27 percent of registered voters turned out for this year’s mayoral election, I was disappointed. What’s worse is that this was the highest voter turnout since 2003.
This week, the highly contested Houston Equal Rights Ordinance, which expanded protection against discrimination to not only members of the LGBT community, but veterans, religious persons and even pregnant women, failed to pass via popular vote.
“No one’s rights should be put to a popular vote,” said Mayor Annise Parker. “It is insulting, and it is demeaning, and it is just wrong.”
Everyone has a right to live comfortably. If groups of people are being discriminated against, it is the government’s job to ensure that their rights are not infringed upon, that is the most basic role of government.
So, when people don’t show up to vote, is it truly a democracy?
HERO was something that needed to pass. Houston will now have the reputation of being the largest city in the country that does not have laws protecting discrimination against LGBT individuals and veterans. With a growing economy and more people moving to this city, applying for homes and jobs will now be more complicated for these persons.
“I am disappointed in Houston,” said LGBT Resource Center graduate assistant Liam Stone. “The fact that a majority (of voters) decided ‘hey, it is okay to screw over veterans because I hate transgender people’ even though this ordinance has nothing to do with bathrooms, that’s very upsetting.”
HERO was not about bathrooms, as the false information spreaders would have people believe. Ordinary citizens are simply not informed enough to make decisions on civil rights, as history has shown us. This is why we have government entities, whether it be the Supreme Court or Houston City Council, sometimes progress needs to be made at the highest level, rather than by the people.
This has become routine every time an election happens. Few people actually show up, and the only people who vote are far-right conservatives. Then when they win, we hear the same, ‘the people have spoken’ or ‘Democracy is great’ slogans.
This is a load of crap. This city has roughly 2.3 million people, and only about 263,000 of registered voters voted. That means 88 percent or so of Houston residents chose not to participate. How is this the people speaking?
Politics is boring, I get it, but, ‘I’m just not that into politics’ is just not a good excuse anymore. Yes, politics can be frustrating, but if people can list every member of the Kardashian family, they can pay attention to what’s happening in their city.
Opinion editor Anthony Torres is a political science junior and may be reached at [email protected]
I was one of those people that early voted and voted against HERO and I’ll tell you exactly why. I believe nobody should be discriminated against for employment, but I had a real problem with the accommodations portion of HERO. If someone born a man wants to dress like a woman, transition into a woman, or whatever they want to do that day and then with the passing of HERO would have given him the right to walk in and use a women’s restroom is not alright with me and obviously many others. It had nothing to do with anything else, but the restroom thing was going overboard and many people I spoke with about this felt the same way. Also, as a Veteran myself, how dare you lump Veterans and LGBT discrimination into one box with a nice little bow. I suggest you separate the categories and see what happens. Bottom line, if you were born a man, you either go into a men’s restroom, a unisex restroom, or a family restroom, but you DO NOT go into a women’s restroom.
So a transgendered woman should use the men’s room and just deal with the danger of being ridiculed, beaten or worse? You are working from the ideal that this is some sort of perversion, that a transgendered is somehow going to abuse a woman and that is not true nor based in any fact whats so ever. Try to find one case where a transgendred woman has ever assaulted anyone in a woman’s bathroom and you can’t. And what of intersexed, those whose bodies are both by birth, do we create a third bathroom? Or how about women that “look” masculine? How are you even going to know if that is really a geneticly born woman or man using the bathroom unless you are going to do a chromosome check for each person.
I understand your fear, you have been misinformed and do not understand what being transgendered really is. But it is right to “lump” veterans and LGBT because if you can deny rights to one group, then you can deny them to any and when you do deny a group the same rights you make what this country was founded on a lie. I did not serve my country in the 82nd airborne so that it could discriminate anyone.
Love your profile pic, it speaks volumes… XD
yes it does, thank you so very much.
A transgender woman is, mentally, completely a woman. She doesn’t just dress like a woman. On top of that, barring some who came out late in life, she looks completely feminine. This is not a day-to-day thing. It would be impossibly embarrassing for such a woman to go to the men’s room – not to mention the fact that it would totally freak the men out!
There are other cities that have passed such ordinances and there has never been a case of an assault on a woman in the ladies room because of that law.
All cases of assault in a ladies room by men have happened at lonely hours when no one has been around. How would defeating the passage of this ordinance prevent that?
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2015/10/06/u-of-t-bathrooms-voyeurism_n_8253970.html From the left’s beloved Huff’n’Puff. Problems like this will keep happening. So what, should men who want to express their affection for women in this way be punished??? I thought Liberals were understanding and inclusive.
it is really easy, use the bathroom you dress, behave, and present for. I personally don’t believe in “neutral” bathrooms for the reason the article reported on. What so many don’t realize is you probably have been in the restroom at least once with a transgenedered and never realized it. That guy in the next stall with a beard, is a female to male transsexual. The elderly woman in the next stall, female to male. As I have said before, unless you are going to physically check someone’s pants or under their dress how are you going to know?
As for your question, which is purposefully smug and in no way conducive to a real dialogue, you chase them out just as you would if a woman entered your male bathroom as they have no business there.
I see you’ve missed the ENTIRE point. While I firmly believe you should go to the bathroom that your ORIGINAL bait and tackle says you should, the problem is with people that AREN’T trannys coming into the bathrooms that they are NOT supposed to be in. There ARE sickos out there, don’t know if you noticed. I KNOW you aren’t going to believe this but conservatives in general have NO PROBLEM with who people are as people, If you are LGBTQQUEVCOSBEV, it does not matter to me, but when you try to FORCE a change that the majority of people obviously DO NOT want, that also has several repercussions for business owners, not to mention the crazies that will seize upon the opportunity to sexually harass women in the bathrooms, THAT I have a problem with. Just because you don’t get your way doesn’t mean the system failed you. It just means democracy is still working and you need to take your lumps just like we have so many times.
But we already have laws for those that would intent malice in a public restroom so why do we need to force those that are different that only wish to answer the call of nature to endanger themselves or be publicly humiliated?
As for taking lumps? I have both figuratively and literally because of this and back in Lubbock when having a black friend and defending them at school meant getting jumped and a cross burnt in your front yard. (yes it happened to me just like that). I am sorry Kris but your whole argument is almost exactly the same as for “separate but equal” proponents back in the 60s and why blacks should drink from their own fountain and go to their own bathrooms.
The hero ordinance would not have made it legal for sickos to perv the bathrooms, it would have just made it illegal to discriminate. In a country that purports liberty and justice for all, there should not be a waiting period for equality. I fought for my country and the constitution, I have earned the right to demand that my country honor those words now and not later because people are prejudice.
What is your point! Are you recommending people should be allowed to film other people in the bathroom without their knowledge/permission?
Well if that’s how some express their feelings of affection, WHY NOT?? LIBERALS MUST ACCEPT EVERYONE (unless they disagree with them). Denying that this type of proposal would NOT have given people the “RIGHT” to do this, is kidding yourself…
Your ignorance truly saddens me. I understand that the majority of people do not have transgender friends or loved ones and therefore do not have a good understanding of what it means to be transgender. The stigma surrounding transgenders has contributed to the silence and lack of awareness and education. This is slowly changing but not soon enough for those who face discrimination and for those who feel ashamed for being transgender.
Charles SMH….oh Charles …….
“So, when people don’t show up to vote, is it truly a democracy? Yes Anthony, It is. When voter turnout is low because people can’t be bothered to go to the polls, It is disappointing, but that is the system. It is your right to exercise, or not exercise. If you want to ask what is democratic, perhaps you should re-read where you said “Ordinary citizens are simply not informed enough to make decisions on
civil rights, as history has shown us. This is why we have government
entities, whether it be the Supreme Court or Houston City Council,
sometimes progress needs to be made at the highest level, rather than by
the people.” Are you really going to criticize a lack of voter turnout and in the same article criticize the voters for being not informed enough to even make those votes in the first place? THAT is not democracy. The people all had the opportunity to be heard on this ordinance by casting a vote. It is false that the only people who show up to vote are far right conservatives. Don’t blame a lack of democracy just because you disagree with the outcome of the election.
You. sir, are one of those un-informed citizens.
I am not. But then, how would you even know that?
I understand that the majority of
people do not have transgender friends or loved ones and therefore do
not have a good understanding of what it means to be transgender. The
stigma surrounding transgenders has contributed to the silence and lack
of awareness and education about this issue. This is slowly changing but not soon enough
for those who face discrimination and for those who feel ashamed for
being transgender.
It means you have mental issues pure and simple. When you begin to feel the need to mutilate your genitalia YOU HAVE MENTAL ISSUES….
Really? So you are a doctor now? So explain to me what it means when you have xxy chromosomes (not a misstype, yes 3 of them) or xxyy, or xyx or any of the other besides just xx and xy. You can’t because you obviously revel in your ignorance of the topic and prefer to just troll instead of having a meaningful discussion.
Good god you’re not worth my time. Again, love the profile pic… ???
Do you also assume gays have mental issues? Regardless, the reasons for transgenderism are not relevant. Have you ever noticed how when you have personal experience with a subject matter your opinions are much more informed and accurate? I have had personal experience with this issue and therefore have become very educated on the topic. I was shocked to find out how common it is and how little the general public knows about it. I suspect this is mostly due to stigma and shame. The same used to be true of gays. People assumed were extremely rare and mentally ill. Time magazine declared that the country had reached the “transgender tipping point” but I’d argue we have only just begun to speak openly about the issue and educate the public. Keep an open mind. One day you may have a child or loved one come to you and tell you they feel stuck in the wrong body. Are you aware of the high suicide rate of transgender teens? Psychologists attribute the high rate of suicide to shame and self hatred which is another reason for compassion and acceptance.
MENTALY DISTURBED INDIVIDUALS. Which ever gender floats your boat is a completely different topic from self mutilation. And if some one I loved felt like they were “stuck in the wrong body” I would make sure to listen to them and give the care and support they need so they can work through those feelings and/or get them professional help. I really can’t believe people enable this behavior, people like YOU. Instead of dealing with the tough choice to get them help you just enable it. Why do you think they commit suicide? THEY NEED F*CKING HELP. And by the way, 0.5 of 1% is not exactly “common”
Yes, it is indeed sad that the disinformation campaign won out.
What you call disinformation, rational people call fact based logic.
waaaaaaaa!!!! wa wa waaaaaa!!!! – Translated by Google translate (recognized language, liberal butt hurt)
Sounds very mature!!
Thank you!
I hope you read the things you write out loud before you send them. They are truly remarkable.
I do ????
One problem with our voting system is that is not convenient. There needs to be more places one can vote at and a person should be able at any location, their name would be entered and before they vote it could be easily checked to see if they already voted. Additionally a voting location should be at all hospitals, police and fire stations and colleges and downtown so that people could take 15 minutes to run down and vote and then be able to be back to work or class.
That negates the precinct model. Why must it be convenient? Democracy is not pretty or easy and shouldn’t be such an easy thing that people take no time to think about the vote they are casting.
Then how about the word “reasonably accessible”? Of course people should educate themselves with facts and research (sadly the majority don’t) but most every other democracy voting day is a day off. The process should be more accessible. As for the precinct model its unnecessary if you set it up right, your address would determine the choices for precinct candidates you get to vote for in the booth, those that are not in your precinct candidates you don’t even see on your ballot. This would be cheaper than the present system and would make for those that work downtown, have off hours, or demanding jobs the ability to vote. The process should be easy, the choices you make on who and what to vote for should not.
If voting is important to you, you find a way to cast your ballot.
I drove across town to get to my polling place and I was happy to do so. You should be glad we can vote at all!! Liberals are never happy…. Sheesh ?
It was bad legislation and nothing but a Trojan Horse for Mayor Porker’s LGBTQ agenda.
The reality is low information voters were given reasons to vote both for and against. The issue wasn’t either bathrooms or equal opportunity. It was creating another city bureaucracy with the power of municipal courts behind it to intrude and harass private businesses.
The real winners of a ‘yes’ vote? Lawyers.
Don’t buy the hype. Study the issues closely.
Fear mongering campaigns are very effective against the uninformed mob that is the American public.
Let’s get real: most of the arguments used to strike down HERO were the same arguments used against passing civil rights legislation.
“We can’t integrate bathrooms because we don’t want the coloreds coming in and subjugating our children!”
Sound familiar?
This is literally history repeating itself; just the names and the faces are different.
https://www.facebook.com/LateNightSeth/videos/571921426291874/