9 minute read
NEWS
from MAY 2021
Harris County Passes Resolution in Support of Trans Kids
Lina Hidalgo’s statement opposes discriminatory legislative attacks.
By MARENE GUSTIN
A slew of bills targeting transgender youth is moving quickly through the 87th Texas Legislative Session, and Harris County has responded by taking a stand against hate.
During a meeting on April 27, the Harris County Commissioners Court enacted a resolution that opposes bills that discriminate against trans children. The resolution, authored by longtime LGBTQ ally Judge Lina Hidalgo, passed 3 to 2 along party lines.
“My resolution basically states that the Commissioners Court opposes antitransgender bills, and will uphold the diversity and inclusivity of the County,” Hidalgo said. “It seems to me that schoolchildren face enough challenges as it is.”
More than 250 anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced in state legislatures across the country this year, and Texas has introduced more harmful bills than any other state. Of the more than 30 anti-LGBTQ bills filed, at majority of the bills attack the rights of transgender children—specifically trans student athletes and any trans youth trying to access gender-affirming medical care.
Legislative attacks against the trans community are not new, according to Equality Texas, an organization that has been advocating for LGBTQ rights at the Capitol since its inception in 1978. The group has worked with hundreds of pro-equality Texans in the past to successfully defeat anti-trans bills.
“We had a conversation in 2017, and Texans spoke loud and clear and rejected the bathroom bill targeting transgender Texans,” said Equality Texas senior adviser Angela Hale. “Now, 70 percent of Texans—a supermajority— support equality for all Texans and oppose discriminatory legislation targeting vulnerable transgender children.”
Hale notes that despite strict pandemic protocols, trans children and their parents have traveled from all over the state to the Texas Capitol to testify in opposition to the bills. “We’re grateful that members listened to the voices of families and real experts. We ask the Legislature, and especially leaders in the Texas House, to once again reject this and all unnecessary and harmful legislation, and focus on issues that unite us as Texans.”
Equality Texas is grateful that Harris County’s leaders are listening, Hale said.
“We are pleased that the Harris County Commissioners Court voted to pass a resolution to protect trans kids in Texas,” she added. “The unprecedented onslaught of anti-LGBTQ bills filed this session—30 in all, targeting innocent Texas children, their parents, their doctors, their health care and insurance—denies lifesaving, best-practice medical care.”
—Judge Lina Hidalgo
The victim alleges he was approached with a firearm, threatened with violence, and called derogatory names because he is gay.
By RYAN LEACH
The Harris County District Attorney’s office filed criminal charges against Christopher Dwayn Hall, 42, on April 21. The charge alleges that Hall threatened his victim with a firearm and that Hall intentionally singled him out because he is gay, thus elevating the incident to a possible hate crime. If convicted, the hate-crime charge could land Hall in jail for a minimum of five years, with a fine of up to $10,000.
The victim, who asked not to be identified in this story for fear of further retaliation, was allegedly assaulted by Hall at an apartment complex where Hall lived. The victim, who was with his sister at the time, alleges that Hall approached them with a firearm, threatened physical harm, and called him “faggot,” among other things.
The defendant is currently eligible for a $25,000 bond, and has been ordered not to have any contact with the alleged victim or his sister, who is a witness in the pending matter. Hall has also been ordered not to possess any firearms, ammunition, or other weapons, and he must submit to random urinalysis testing. He is also prohibited from using alcohol or other drugs not otherwise prescribed to him by a doctor.
Assistant District Attorney Ryan Volkmer is the prosecutor assigned to this case. Volkmer has been with the DA’s office for eight years.
“The crime alleged is Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon. It is a second-degree felony that carries a punishment range, if convicted, of no more than twenty years and no less than two years and up to a $10,000 fine. The hate-crime enhancement is pursued by the Office on a case-by-case basis, after an evidence-based review of the law-enforcement investigation and facts of the case. When the evidence clearly and unambiguously demonstrates the perpetrator’s motive [was to commit] a hate crime, enhancement may be appropriate. In this case, the defendant’s violent threats against the victim specifically targeted him because of his sexual orientation,” said Volkmer.
Hate-crime enhancements are rare in Harris County when compared to the sheer number of crimes that the DA’s office prosecutes. This is also due in part to the difficulty in proving the motive for the crime was rooted in prejudice or hate. In this case, the fact that there were witnesses to the incident allowed the DA to get a clearer idea of what actually transpired. Many times, there is either no corroborating witness or the witnesses are reticent to get involved, for fear of retribution.
“Proving the motive for a crime is challenging. Evidence about why someone does something is not usually readily available. Our constitutional protections make sure that a defendant does not have to testify and can remain silent when facing criminal prosecution. Our Office typically proves a person’s motive by putting on evidence of their actions and drawing inferences as to the why. There are cases, like this one, where the defendant made his motive clear through announcing it to the victim and witness,” said Volkmer.
Volkmer will next present the case to the Harris County Grand Jury. If indicted, the victim and the defendant will move one step closer to having their day in court if the case is not settled beforehand.
“The District Attorney’s Office will work to see a just outcome for all those involved,” Volkmer added.
District Attorney Kim Ogg, who is a lesbian, was re-elected to serve as the Harris County District Attorney in 2020. In an interview with OutSmart in September, Ogg expressed her ongoing commitment to protecting all citizens in Harris County, including LGBTQ citizens. She has implemented implicit-bias training to improve the cultural competence of DA staff, and advanced what she called an “evidence-based approach to casework for victims and those arrested.”
District Attorney Kim Ogg has expressed her ongoing commitment to protecting all citizens in Harris County, including LGBTQ citizens.
—Assistant District Attorney Ryan Volkmer
Housing Our Future
The Montrose Center provides homeless LGBTQ youth with the resources to thrive.
By KIM HOGSTROM
Elena, a 22-year-old, prides herself on her independence. But when the pandemic hit, she lost her job and became homeless. The Houston woman, whose name has been changed to protect her privacy, initially sought support from her family. Although they kicked her out when she came out as transgender at age 17, she believes that they have become more accepting over the years. Even so, living under their roof again was not good for her well-being. So she pledged to find her own housing, and with the Montrose Center’s help, she did.
Elena got her own apartment through the Center’s Youth Rapid Rehousing program. Freed from the stress and the burden of having to find and maintain housing, Elena is now thriving. She enrolled in her first online college course and found a new job.
Her experience is just one of Montrose Center’s success stories.
Committed to emboldening LGBTQ citizens, the Center provides its clients with the tools to live their best lives. Its youth program assists homeless LGBTQ kids by offering them safe and stable housing. The organization’s comprehensive approach to LGBTQ youth homelessness includes supplying them with rent, furniture, food, and utilities. Each youth also receives personalized case management that incorporates mental-health and substance-use services, life skills training, as well as employment-search assistance.
To continue the lifesaving Youth Rapid Rehousing program, the Center launched the Housing Our Future peer-to-peer team fundraising campaign. The Center aims to raise $150,000 by May 19, and every dollar donated will go directly to supporting homeless LGBTQ youth.
The Center is looking for more amazing community members to spread the word about the Housing Our Future campaign, and encourages loved ones to give local homeless LGBTQ youth a second chance.
Contributors will get to experience great perks such as a celebratory virtual watch party on May 19 at 7 p.m. The event will feature testimonials from participants in the Youth Rapid Rehousing program, speeches from Center staff and supporters, performances from Athena Oya Sapphire, Dina Jacobs, Duo Dorado (Amy Armstrong and Fernando Gonzalez), Eric Michael Krop, plus messages of support from some amazing celebrity guests. According to Austin Ruiz, communications and marketing manager for the Center, as many as 40 percent of homeless youth identify as LGBTQ. Queer youth are also more than twice as likely than their heterosexual peers to experience homelessness.
“The Housing Our Future campaign enables us to keep LGBTQ youth off the streets and give them a second chance at an independent and successful adult life,” Ruiz says. “Ultimately, it gives them hope.”
Since the pandemic began, the Center has seen an increase in both the number and the needs of homeless LGBTQ youth. “Our Housing Our Future campaign is more important than ever,” Ruiz states.
Jovon Tyler, the current Houston GLBT Political Caucus president, was lucky enough to be taken in by former Houston mayor Annise Parker and her wife, Kathy Hubbard, when he was a teen. He was embraced and supported by that affirming family during his youth.
However, he will never forget what he experienced while living on the streets. When he was younger, Tyler came across a few agencies that tried and failed to help homeless LGBTQ kids. The organizations’ intentions were good, but their programs were ineffective at best.
“I know how important a program like Rapid Rehousing is for these kids. Not only because of their homelessness, but because of all the dangers that go with it,” Tyler says. “So often, they fall into drugs and prostitution. I made many homeless friends when I was on the streets, and today, every one of them is either fighting drug addiction or dead.”
Although he did not participate in the Center’s initiative, he is impressed by the Youth Rapid Rehousing program’s comprehensive approach, and recognizes how important that program is to homeless LGBTQ youth, especially during a pandemic. “I have seen what great work they do. I proudly lend my name to it in any way I can,” Tyler concludes.
To contribute to and learn more about the program and the Montrose Center, visit montrosecenter.org/housing-our-future.
