Rev. Becky Edmiston-Lange spoke at the Houston City Council’s Quality of Life Committee hearing to introduce Mayor Parker’s proposed Equal Rights Ordinance on Wednesday, April 30, 2014.  The full video of the hearing is posted on Houston Television. To hear Rev. Becky speak, follow the link and click on Part 4.  She speaks 38 minutes into the video.  The following text contains the essence of her words in favor of the ordinance. Good afternoon, I am the Rev. Becky Edmiston-Lange, Co-Minister of the Emerson Unitarian Universalist Church.  Thank you for this opportunity to speak in support of the proposed Ordinance on behalf of my church and the six other Houston Unitarian Universalist Congregations united in a Voice for Justice. Our faith affirms the “inherent worth and dignity of every person”; that all human beings are beloved of God and that God is a god of inclusive love.  It calls us to work for justice and compassion for all people, to treat our neighbors with the same fairness and respect as we would want to be treated.  These are core religious convictions and it is these core religious convictions that lead us to support this ordinance. Houston at its best is a place of fairness and acceptance. But, sadly, as a minister, I know congregants who feel they must hide their sexual orientation or gender identity for fear of being harassed or fired, or denied housing or public accommodations.  As a minister, I have seen the devastating effects such discrimination can have on individuals and on their families. I know real people who need the protection of this ordinance – real people who want to live as fully and freely as anyone else, who want to live out the fullness of their God-given identity just like anyone else.  Real people who care about and are proud of this city and want Houston to prosper. Thank you.  (I trust that you will stand on the side of dignity and fairness for all Houstonians.)


Rev. Becky Edmiston-Lange, Emerson Unitarian Universalist Church,  1900 Bering Dr., Houston, Tx 77057, 713-782-8250
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