County Judge Clay Jenkins and Commissioner Dr. Elba Garcia, are both Democrats who support adding transgender protections for county employees. Democratic Commissioner John Wiley Price is still undecided about it. Dr. Garcia, like John Wiley Price, once served on the Dallas City Council and is a longtime TBLG community ally.
Republican Commissioner Maurine Dickey, whose district covers part of the Oak Lawn gayborhood in Dallas was thought to be the possible decisive third vote that would help the policy pass for the 7000 Dallas County workers.
Dickey blew up that fantasy when she arrogantly came out against it in a Dallas Voice Instant Tea blog interview..While she believes the recent decision of the Dallas County Commissioners Court to add sexual orientation to the policy was long overdue, Dickey said she thinks adding gender identity/expression to the policy could lead to adding “overweight people” or “people with diabetes.”
WTF?
“I won’t be voting for a special protected class,” Dickey said. “You’ve got to stop somewhere. … It becomes a legal nightmare.”
Spoken like a true Republican.
FYI Commissioner Dickey, gender identity/expression is not a 'special protected class' and you need to stop peddling those GOP weasel words. Everyone has a gender identity that they express, including you.
And as Carla stated on my FB page when we were discussing this issue, "Ms Dickey not only shows she has no clue when it comes to trans issues, she also shows her total insensitivity to those of us who struggle with issues around food and weight. What a poor representative of the people she is.
Judge Jenkins and Commissioner Garcia are still working hard to get that third vote, and Judge Jenkins will not put the issue on the Commissioners Court calendar until they have secured the third vote.
“I really feel confident,” Garcia said. “You have to hope.”
In the meantime TBLG advocates have addressed the court about the need to do the right thing and protect Dallas County's trans workers for the fourth consecutive week.
Time for you Dallas area transfolks to become agents of your own liberation. If you want to speak to the court, Rafael McDonnell of Resource Center Dallas is coordinating the speaker's list and would love to hear from you.
If you're a do it yourself kind of person, here's the contact info for all five Dallas County commissioners.
Remember, be nice and respectful while doing so.
County Judge Clay Jenkins – 214-653-7949
Email: Clay.Jenkins@DallasCounty.org
Dist. 1 Maurine Dickey – 214-653-7552
Email: Maurine.Dickey@DallasCounty.org
Dist. 2 Mike Cantrell – 214-653-6100
Email: MCantrell@DallasCounty.org
Dist. 3 John Wiley Price – 214-653-6671
Email: John.Price@DallasCounty.org
Dist. 4 Dr. Elba Garcia – 214-653-6670
Email: Elba.GarciaDDS@DallasCounty.org