NO ACTION WILL BE TAKEN ON THURSDAY, MAY 30th
AS ORIGINALLY EXPECTED
On Tuesday, May 21
st, the 5-person Governance Committee of the San Antonio City Council met at 1:30 p.m. to discuss granting special rights to homosexuals and cross dressers based on their deviant behavior.
The five people on that committee include: Mayor Julian Castro, Diego Bernal of District 1 -- the one who proposed this egregious ordinance, Ivy Taylor of District 2, David Medina of District 5, and Cris Medina of District 7.
The 5 members of the San Antonio Governance Committee from left to right:
Ivy Taylor of District 2, Diego Bernal of District 1, Mayor Julian Castro,
Cris Medina of District 7 and David Medina of District 5.
The changes being proposed would be made to the sections of the city code that cover public accommodations, housing, city employment, city contracts and appointments to city boards and commissions. The language in the code would be changed to include "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" as protected classes. Since restaurants and hotels are considered to be public accommodations, the ordinance would clearly impact private business. Business owners, be on the alert! This proposal will impact you.
In fact, take a look at the devastating stories from across the country which document the long-term negative impact of the passage of city ordinances which grant special rights to homosexuals and cross dressers.
Sadly, the 100 homosexual activists, who were wearing red and yellow shirts, outnumbered the 40 Christians. The homosexual activists were represented by Community Alliance for a United San Antonio which includes members of sodomite groups such as the Stonewall Democrats, Equality Texas, the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgendered Chamber of Commerce, the Metropolitan Community Church, GetEqual, and the Human Rights Campaign.
The San Antonio City Hall chambers were packed on Tuesday, May 21 with
100 homosexual activists wearing red and yellow shirts and 40 Christians as an
ordinance granting special rights for sodomites was discussed.
Those in the yellow shirts were specifically from the Unitarian Universalist cult of San Antonio which does not require a belief in God, Christ's divinity, or the doctrine of the Trinity.
Opposing the ordinance changes were Phillip Sevilla of the Texas Leadership Coalition, a Catholic men's organization, Pastor Gerald Ripley of Voices for Marriage, and readers of the Take A Stand with Adam McManus E-news Alert.
Pastor Gerald Ripley of Abundant Life Church heads up Voices for Marriage and has boldly taken a stand against the radical homosexual agenda being pushed through the San Antonio City Council.
Thanks to your willingness to contact members of the San Antonio City Council by phone and email as well as personally attend the May 21 Governance Committee meeting, the 5-person committee voted unanimously to table the ordinance changes until the full City Council could get a draft copy of the ordinance prepared by City Attorney Michael Bernard, the past president of the local liberal ACLU and brother of White House Social Secretary Jeremy Bernard, an openly homosexual man.
Jeremy Bernard (left) -- the brother of City Attorney Michael Bernal -- with his former sodomite lover Rufus Gifford (right). Jeremy Bernard, the former senior advisor to the US ambassador to France, was named Obama's White House Social Secretary. Jeremy Bernard, who is openly homosexual, is the first man named to the position traditionally held by a woman.
It's the new American family: two gays and a dog.
At that point, some time in June, the City Council will consider the special rights for homosexuals and cross dressers proposal at a "B" session during which citizens can speak up for or against in speeches no longer than 3 minutes in duration. Following that opportunity for public input, the City Council will then add the item to the agenda of a subsequent meeting for an up-or-down vote.
In other words, the supporters of this ordinance change - including Mayor Julian Castro, City Councilman Diego Bernal of District 1 and the homosexual activists - were disappointed that the proposal was not immediately rubber stamped by the Governance Committee on May 21.
So, while it wasn't a total victory for the Christians who uphold the Bible, it's safe to say that we enjoyed a partial victory by slowing down the frenzy to fast track sexual sin into city law.
In addition to slowing down the process, the other reason that Christians enjoyed a victory, as noted by QSanAntonio, a San Antonio homosexual website, is that "in June there will be some newly-elected council members coming on-board, thus changing the dynamic of who may or may not vote for the changes."
Specifically, evangelical Christian David Medina in District 5 is in a run-off against Shirley Gonzales who has pledged to support the homosexual agenda and who has been endorsed by the local Stonewall Homosexual Democrats. Early Voting: Monday, June 3 through Tuesday, June 11. Election Day: Saturday, June 15.
And Rolando Briones in District 8, who stood with the Christians, is in a run-off against liberal Ron Nirenberg.
San Antonio City Council candidate Rolando Briones from District 8, pictured above right in the grey suit, talks with David Rosa before the pro heterosexual marriage, anti special rights for homosexuals press conference. A statement was read by Briones in which he said that this perverse ordinance would impose "values that San Antonio does not want." Briones is in a run-off against Ron Nirenberg.
Early voting is June 3-11. Election Day: Saturday, June 15.
Plus, as the San Antonio Current documents, "outgoing District 3 Council member Leticia Ozuna, who lost to the religiously devout Rebecca Viagran this month", will no longer be able to vote for the homosexual agenda since the Council switches over on Friday, June 1. Now, it becomes clear why Mayor Castro and Councilman Bernal were trying to ramrod this perverse ordinance through the system.
QSanAntonio recorded the following quotes and observations:
Mayor Castro was firm in his endorsement. "To say that you agree with this ordinance is to say that you do not believe that someone who is gay or lesbian ought to be discriminated against in the same way that an African American or a Hispanic or a woman shouldn't be discriminated against."
San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro, to his shame, was the first Mayor of the Alamo City to serve as Grand Marshall in the San Antonio Sodomite parade.
Councilman Bernal echoed the Mayor's sentiments, "The question is, do we believe that people should reserve the legal right to discriminate against them for being who they are? And I think for the most part we all agree that the answer is no."
San Antonio City Councilman Diego Bernal, pictured above, of the downtown District 1, is the one who has introduced the ordinance to grant special rights to homosexuals and cross dressers.
Councilwoman Taylor of District 2 remarked that she wanted more time to assess the impact the changes would have and added, perhaps in a veiled message to those who opposed the measure, that she hoped any public discussion of the matter would remain "civil."
Councilman Cris Medina of District 7 said he was against discrimination but thought the process was moving along too quickly and would like to confer with veterans' groups in his district.
The most vocal of the council members on the dais was Councilman David Medina of District 5 who wanted to keep the proposal in committee for another 30 days.
San Antonio City City Councilman David Medina, a Bible-believing Christian, represents District 5. He voted against domestic partner benefits for homosexuals, is likely to vote against this proposed ordinance and is in a tight run-off race during early voting June 3-11.
Election Day is Saturday, June 15.
One political observer told QSanAntonio that Medina is stalling for time since he's facing a critical runoff election on June 15 against Shirley Gonzalez who, if elected, has said she would support the proposal.
Councilman David Medina is an evangelical Christian and will most likely vote against the ordinance changes. In 2011, he voted "no" on allowing the domestic partner benefits, citing "community opposition." Just like in 2011, Councilman Medina stood outside Council chambers before Tuesday's committee meeting chatting and talking strategy with Pastor Ripley.
During Tuesday's meeting, Councilman David Medina repeated a couple of times that he had to discuss the measure with his constituents.
After the meeting, CAUSA held a press conference on the steps of City Hall with speakers from the LGBT community advocating for the passage of the ordinances. The group's mood remained upbeat with shouts of "Equality Now" echoing down the streets after the press conference ended.
The homosexual activists held a press conference on Tuesday, May 21st in front of City Hall following the City Governance Committee hearing.
CAUSA co-chair Dan Graney summed it up in a Facebook post. "We made a huge impact today and we shall eventually prevail."
DeeDee Belmares and Melissa Bellamy, who have been in a lesbian relationship for 13 years,
were two of the homosexual activists who attended the Governance Committee hearing.
The San Antonio Express News documented the objection of one Christian couple from Wayside Chapel who attended as a result of reading my email alert.
Dan and Karen Giorgi said they oppose the proposal to strengthen the city's anti-discrimination policy, which would affect municipal government, the city's delegate agencies (non-profits that get city funding) and companies that win city contracts.
The Giorgis said they believe sexual orientation and gender identity are dictated by personal choice, unlike race, sex and national origin.
"Are they going to put fat people in there, too?" Karen Giorgi said, alleging that obesity is purely the result of individual behavior and choice.
Her husband, a former Air Force chaplain, said, "I'm governed by my beliefs. And I believe homosexuality is an immoral act."
The San Antonio Express-News also quoted from homosexual activists.
Sammy Zoeller, who's gay and a member of the anti-discrimination advocacy group Community Alliance for A United San Antonio, said he remembers standing on a street corner in San Francisco listening to the late Harvey Milk, a prominent gay-rights activist, when he ran in 1977 for the board of supervisors there.
Harvey Milk, pictured above right, was the first openly homosexual man to be elected into public office in California. He was granted a seat in the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Sean Penn portrayed his perverse story in a disturbing R-rated film entitled "Milk."
"I feel that Mayor Castro and Diego Bernal are two people on this council that give me that same feeling of hope for equality I felt when I was standing on the street corner listening to Harvey," Zoeller said.
Castro believes the council ultimately will pass the updates.
"To say that you agree with this ordinance," Castro said, "is to say that you do not believe that someone who is gay or lesbian ought to be discriminated against in the same way that an African American or a Hispanic or a woman shouldn't be discriminated against."
The San Antonio Current, a liberal weekly paper, featured the thoughts of Mayor Castro and a pastor who who opposed it.
As Mayor Julián Castro said during Council's Governance Committee hearing Tuesday, the move would put San Antonio in line with nearly every other major U.S. metro, including all other major Texas cities - like Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Austin, and El Paso.
"San Antonio's not breaking any new ground," Castro said."In San Antonio, sometimes what we consider revolutionary is not. Other big communities in Texas have done this," Castro said, regretting that "too many times, regarding these issues, we've found ourselves catching up instead of being a leader."
Pastor Charles Flowers of Faith Outreach Center was "When it comes to gender identity and when it comes to breaking these barriers down, let's say it allows a pedophile ... A pedophile can use this gender identity language to get close to children."
Pastor Charles Flowers of Faith Outreach Center, above right, is one of the few pastors in San Antonio who had the guts to speak out against the homosexual agenda. In this picture Pastor Flowers is speaking with San Antonio Current reporter Michael Barajas.
At the dais, David Medina, an Evangelical Christian, questioned whether such discrimination is even a problem in San Antonio. When Medina asked City Attorney Bernard, "Have we seen more complaints, more discrimination?" Bernard said the City, for all intents and purposes, wouldn't know.
"There's no mechanism by which we would get the complaints," Bernard said. "Because we don't prohibit discrimination in, say, the housing area based on sexual orientation or gender identity, we don't have that prohibition."
"So there are no complaints," Medina concluded.
Bottom line: The San Antonio City Council will not take any action on Thursday, May 30 as originally expected. Therefore, there is no reason to attend their regularly scheduled meeting today.
However, some think that they might add it to the agenda to be debated on Thursday, June 6.
If so, I hope to alert you at least 48 hours in advance. Pastor Gerald Ripley of Voices for Marriage explained that while we need to keep our calendars flexible for that day, we should not take the day off until it is confirmed.
As I noted in my previous alert, as a direct result of similar changes in city ordinances and charters across America:
* Transvestite men have been allowed in the women's restroom in restaurants and city parks.
* A Catholic adoption agency had to shut down because they wouldn't allow homosexuals to adopt children. (To do so would be a violation of their conscience.)
* Pastors have been threatened with jail because they boldly chose to preach the whole counsel of God including the Biblical passages on homosexual behavior.
* A photographer was forced to pay a $7,000 fine plus court costs for declining to take pictures at a homosexual "wedding."
