No "Dallas Voice," the LGBT establishment won't hold TX Sen. Royce West accountable. UPDATE: Dallas Vichey Voice doesn't either.
It was expected that the Stonewall Dems would give Royce West a free pass, but who thought they would be so quick to do so.
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Introduction
I knew that under some rational the local LGBT establishment, in particular the Stonewall Democrats would give Texas State Senator Royce West for his vote in support of the anti-Drag bill. [Link to the background post on Royce West voting for the anti-drag bill at the end of this post.]
What really astonished me was how quickly Rocye West would be given a free pass by the LGBT establishment.
The leadership of the LGBT just doesn’t have any fight in them and that is because they are desperate for straight approval and desperate for tolerance. Also, for the Stonewall Democrats getting into a fight with Royce West over his vote against drag would be an impediment to their political careerism and vote harvesting for the Democrats.
Don’t be surprised when Royce West is involved with the Ugandan North American Association convention in Dallas Sept. 1-4, 2023. He knows the Stonewall Democrats will give him a free pass.
Dallas (Vichey) Voice Sternly Declaring that Royce West will be held accountable.
This is the article, “Holding them accountable,” by David Taffett, Senior Staff Writer for the Dallas Voice.
https://dallasvoice.com/holding-them-accountable/
This is the same article saved at the Internet Archive incase it disappears from the Dallas Voice.
https://web.archive.org/web/20230415162620/https://dallasvoice.com/holding-them-accountable/
The Dallas Voice also published without comment Royce West’s reply.
Again, on the Internet archive.
However, what Royce West has said about SB12 varies depending on who he is taling to.
This is his Facebook post.
Quoting from this Facebook post of April 14, 2023, Royce West is taking the position of the anti-drag activists and also misrepresenting the issue.
However, Senate Bill 12 was not entirely about Drag.
Senate Bill 12 makes it a crime to perform sex acts in front of a minor; completely separate and apart from Drag. As a parent, and a grandparent, I do have a problem, as I believe most parents would, with a child under the age of 18 watching people perform the type of sexual acts described in Senate Bill 12.
I could not in good conscience agree with allowing children to witness the activities in question when you look at exactly what is specified within the bill. Senate Bill 12 defines and prohibits the “exhibition,” “representation,” of certain “actual or simulated sexual acts” and the use of sex “devices” during an exhibition and any “actual contact or simulated contact” and list specific body parts. I would encourage those interested in this legislation, and ask why I voted as I did, to read the full text of the bill, and recognize the very graphic displays that are covered under the legislation.
As we endure this season in Texas and national politics where divisive issues are pursued with vigor by a political party whose most ardent backers have opinions I oppose, we must not fall into the trap of becoming divided on a single bill of the hundreds this legislature will pass, when we in reality, agree on a great deal. That’s what the other side wants.
Notice how Royce West is positioning criticism of his vote as “divisive” and hence the LGBT criticize him are bad people.
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The Dallas Voice also had Royce West anti-drag vote on the cover of their print publication. You can see it here.
https://dallasvoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Dallas-Voice-04-14-23pdf.pdf
Again, it is on the Internet archive here.
By the way, for webpages, you can submit a URL for archiving at the Internet Archive at this link. Use the Wayback machine to see if the URL is already archived. If it isn’t it will ask if you want it archived. Answer Yes. Depending on the amount of activity the archive is happening it can be done in a few seconds or it might take an hour.
The consequences of this bill terrify the community.
This is the Dallas Morning News (DMN) article, “ ‘I could lose everything’: Dallas drag performers say Texas bills could impact their jobs.” There is fear in our community.
Has Royce West been held accountable? Answer, not at all and it doesn’t look like he ever will.
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Even in the article “Holding them accountable,” in the conclusion of the article, the Stonewall Democrats are subtly shifting the blame on the LGBT community.
Quoting the article:
Kristy Noble, who chairs the Dallas Democratic Party, expressed frustration with West’s vote and encouraged LGBTQ voters to always contact their representatives about issues they care about — even if your representatives have always been allies. Never assume an ally is going to support the community on the next issue.
Let them know where you stand, she said.
Strater agreed: “It caught us by surprise that a Democrat supported this bill. Now we have learned that more than ever we need to contact legislators both Democrat and Republican on our legislative issues.”
What Kristy Noble and Jeff Strater, President of the Stonewall Democrats are doing is making Royce West’s vote the consequence of a supposedly deficient Dallas LGBT community which didn’t call. It is implied that if more LGBT had contacted Royce West he might have voted differently. From what I am hearing is that a lot of people did contact him, but I can’t prove it.
When Jeff Strater in the above quote states:
“It caught us by surprise that a Democrat supported this bill. Now we have learned that more than ever we need to contact legislators both Democrat and Republican on our legislative issues.”
The president of a democratic political club didn’t know this? Also,saying that it caught them by surprise is an admission of being clueless.
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Samantha Best implies that critics of Royce West are irrationally driven by anger.
Samantha Best makes one of those comments where she is saying two contradictory things at once. This is her comment in response to Sen. Royce West’s Facebook posting quoted above.
Notice the last sentence”
… I don’t like this bill and totally get why people are unhappy … but I also understand Senator West’s view … this is not as black and white as your anger about it may lead you to believe.
This is a real slam of the LGBT in Dallas by Samantha Best. Best is portraying the LGBT as being irrational critics driven by anger. Samanthan Best is a prominent figure in local progressive circles and her comment should be an indication of thin and fragil support for LGBT rights is.
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Lee Daugherty, past president of Stonewall Democrats gives Royce West a free pass
https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/sen-royce-west-retracts-support-for-anti-drag-bill-16389219
The article is about Royce West having a meeting with angry LGBT people.
Just incase not everyone understand, “retracting support,” doesn’t undo how Royce West voted. Also, regardless of what West might say to the LGBT about his vote, the supporters of this legislation can say that West actually does support the bill, after all West did vote for it, and that this “retraction” is just placating a few angry LGBT.
Daugherty, owner of Alexandre’s, does discuss the ramification of SB12 which Royce West voted for, and severely criticized Royce West’s rationalizations for voting
Royce West stated at this meeting:
He said he’s stood with the LGBTQ community since his earliest days in office, and promised to work with them more when considering legislation.
“I tell my staff and law firm colleagues when they make a mistake, I don’t want excuses,” West wrote. “I just want it acknowledged and fixed, and I am big enough to admit that I made a mistake with this vote.”
And Lee Daugherty buys into it:
Daugherty is happy West learned something and that he’s retracted his support for SB 12, but said he wishes the meeting had happened before his vote in favor of the bill. “I’m always happy for someone to learn something even if it’s maybe 30 years too late,” Daugherty said.
This supports the narrative of West that he made a mistake due to the lack of information and works to close down the issue for the Stonewall Democrats who just needed a rationalization to give West a free pass.
This is a facebook post at Stonewall Democrats seeing this retraction as some type of victory on their part.
UPDATE: The Dallas Voice also gives Royce West a free pass.
https://dallasvoice.com/this-week-in-the-texas-lege/
The LGBT in Dallas are without defense
Notice that Gay Dallas City Council members Omar Narvaez and Chad West had nothing to say. Notice how many Dallas elected officials are silent about Royce West’s vote.
The reality is that elected officials in Dallas County know they won’t be held accountable if they vote against the LGBT. They can come up with some rationalization and the Stonewall Democrats and other LGBT establishment elements will support whatever excuse is made.
The Stonewall Democrats made online noises about defending BuzzBrew when there was an anti-drag protest, but they didn’t show up with their banner, they “came as individuals,” that is, as an organization their support was invisible.
Not surprising the restaurant On Rotation recently dropped their drag brunch seeing how weak support would be when they were targeted by anti-drag right wing forces. [See link at the end of this report.]
The Stonewall Democrats endorsed City Council candidates Carolyn Arnold and Tennill Adkins even though they had nominated notorious homophobe Vonciel Hill Jones. [Link to report on this at the end of this post. ]
The Stonewall Democrates endorsed City Council canddiates Gracey Zarin, executive pastor at Concord Church, Bryan L. Carter is a nationally prominent anti-Gay minister. [Look at the listing of the posts at the newsletter.]
There is no Human Rights Commission in Dallas, even though Fort Worth has had one since 1967. The so-called Dallas sexual orientation anti-discrimination ordinace is a sham. Until Ed Sebesta made it an issue, really bad homophobes were giving invocations at Dallas City Hall.
The only element that is out there to defend the Dallas LGBT is the Elm Fork Gun Club and the LGBT establishment treats them like a pariah.
The LGBT in Dallas need to reject the politics of accomodation, of hoping for straight approval, of just wishing to be tolerated as opposed to having expectations.
The LGBT need to start having expectations and a politics outside the political careerism of the Democrats.
Help get the word out.
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