Few things should concern us more than watching government officials take actions that put political correctness ahead of the safety of women and children.
What’s happening in Houston at the moment is a perfect example of this.
You may remember this ongoing story:
Houston’s Mayor Annise Parker, along with a willing city council, passed one of those laws we see more and more of today, which permits men who are dealing with their own gender identity confusion to use women’s restrooms and locker rooms (and vice versa). The law imposes fines for businesses and organizations who insist that people use the bathrooms that correlate to their biological gender.
The Houston ordinance also puts religious freedom at risk by forcing business owners to violate their conscience in order to perform services that run contrary to their religious beliefs, such as a Christian photographer forced to photograph a same-sex wedding. The ordinance at issue, known as the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO), generated a lot of news because of the public opposition to it. Pastors and other community folks organized a petition drive to get the ordinance on the ballot for this November to allow the citizens of Houston to decide whether they want that ordinance or not.
Early voting has already begun.
You might remember that Mayor Parker took exception to the public opposition, and in ensuing litigation, tried to intimidate those pastors by issuing subpoenas for their sermons to see what they had preached on the subject of homosexuality. Important to note is that Mayor Parker identifies as a lesbian. We addressed the issue on two separate occasions (here and here) in this space.
The mayor later relented in the face of a national outcry and reduced the scope of the subpoena. However, the Texas Supreme Court has since been involved TWICE to force the city to abide by its own charter and let the people decide on the ordinance.
As part of the campaign to urge voters to vote against the ordinance, Lance Berkman, a former pro baseball player with the Houston Astros, appeared in a television ad urging Houstonians to think about the wives and daughters (like his) who would be subjected to males in women’s facilities.
I’m going to be blunt. Lance Berkman’s common-sense message resonates with me:
“No men in women’s bathrooms. No boys in girls’ showers or locker rooms.”
But Mayor Parker strongly disagreed with the former major leaguer. In fact, she went on social media and mocked both his position and him personally.
Here are the Mayor’s tweets:
Lance Berkman played in St. Louis. Guess his girls didn't go to his games! SL has a non-discrimination ordinance.-A http://t.co/gzEbKIYOd9
— Annise Parker (@AnniseParker) October 5, 2015
When Lance Berkman went from NYC to STL to play ball did he do it to escape NYCs scary nondiscrimination law?-A
— Annise Parker (@AnniseParker) October 5, 2015
Then Lance Berkman went to Dallas. Oops. Dallas amended its Charter to clarify gender identity protections. Can you spell hypocrite?-A
— Annise Parker (@AnniseParker) October 5, 2015
You might disagree with Mr. Berkman’s position. But why question his motives? He was simply trying to defend the privacy of his wife and daughters and others like them.
To me, the safety and privacy of a man’s wife and daughters trumps the political battles being waged over bathrooms.
Of course we must treat people suffering from gender confusion with dignity and love. Our call as Christians demands this. But a line must be drawn where the safety and privacy of people, including our family members, is concerned.
That’s just common sense.
Please join me in praying for Houston voters as they begin to cast their ballots.
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