Welcome to the Big Leagues
by Grant Martin

Yikes! Not another phone call or fund-raising letter from Grant Martin! OK, Houston, I have good news and bad news for you. The good news this year is that (a) we can kick some homophobic ass; (b) you will be hearing a lot from me; (c) you will become rich in spirit and build good karma for supporting your community; and (d) I am single and available. The bad news this year is that (a) the homophobes are stirring up trouble Big Time (to quote our vice president); (b) you will be hearing a lot from me; (c) your pocketbooks will become poorer as your spirits become richer; and (d) I am single and available.

Indeed, this is an unusual political year for Houston’s LGBT community–a year when we must work harder and donate more than we have ever done before. Trust me, this is entirely doable–just ask our fellow community members in Oregon, who defeated Oregon’s 39th anti-LGBT ballot measure last November. But yes, it will require a monumental effort.

1) It’s an all-or-nothing year, and we won’t know for sure until it’s too late. The nondiscrimination ordinance for LGBT city employees will be voted on this month. With right-wing Orlando Sanchez in the mayor’s race, many believe that it is inevitable that conservatives will force a referendum to repeal the ordinance, if only to drive out right-wing voters. If that happens, the anti-LGBT domino effect continues, and you can bet that Dave Wilson will conclude his signature drive for a city charter change to ban domestic partner benefits. From that point, the conservatives will utilize all those anti-LGBT voters to try and knock out our own Annise Parker from city council in November. Or ... we can wait and hope that the wingnuts finally believe us when we say we want equal rights, not special rights. The trouble is, if we wait until we know for sure, we’ll never have time to raise the $1 million-plus or identify the number of supportive voters needed to win.

2) It’s time for Houston to catch up to other "world class" cities. I put "world class" in quotation marks because I am so tired of hearing that phrase. But I’m more tired of striving for "world class" status by building freeways and sports stadiums, rather than building a solid base of civil rights for our people. Stepping up to the plate this year (OK, no more tired sports talk) will bring us closer to the kind of civilized society that I could buy season tickets for. (Oops.)

3) The current situation won’t last forever, but it will last for two years. Steven Hotze and his friends, in between a few trips around Memorial Park, have made an unequivocal promise to force a referendum next year when Annise Parker and Mayor Brown bring domestic partner benefits back to the council table.

4) We will always have to maintain a level of activism higher than we’ve been used to. Welcome to the big leagues. Just ask those of us in the African-American, Asian, Latino, Jewish, or women’s communities. Getting rid of discrimination is like losing weight–the real challenge is in keeping it off. I myself can’t wait to fit into my size 34s again!

5) We don’t have to do this alone! Ask former Mayor Bob Lanier, who will support us in this struggle; ask Dana and Bill Hurt, who chaired the Houston Human Rights Campaign dinner; ask the family of James Byrd, who fought to keep LGBT people in the Hate Crimes Bill. They really like us! They really, really like us!! (Thank you, Sally Field.) We are quick to assume that LGBT people are the only ones who support LGBT civil rights. Still, though, we must continue to broaden our coalition. But that’s easy. Just start talking to your coworkers, your neighbors, and your families. Host a house party to fight the referendum, or get your group to sponsor a night of phone-banking or a morning of blockwalking. How? Keep reading.

6) Who do I call? (Not Ghostbusters.) To volunteer in any capacity, contact Progressive Voters in Action (PVA) at 713/521-7161, or provoter@Lconn.com. To make a donation, contact Grant Martin at 713/523-1762 or grant@grantmartinconsulting.com.

Actually, it’s all good news: You’ll become a hero, we can all save our little corner of the world, and who knows–maybe I’ll even find a date.

Grant Martin is a political and fund-raising consultant who works locally and nationally to train, develop, and elect qualified progressive candidates and campaign managers, and to defeat anti-LGBT ballot measures. Martin is a board member of the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund in Washington, D.C., and Progressive Voters in Action (PVA), Gay or Lesbian Dollars PAC (GOLD PAC), and the Montrose Clinic in Houston.