By Barrett White
On August 1, the Pride Forum, a non-partisan collaboration between several LGBTQ organizations in Houston, took the stage at Texas Southern University’s Jesse H. Jones School of Business. Though it was balmy outside, the heat of the mayoral race was nowhere to be found—yet. Seven hopefuls met with moderators Emmett Schelling and LaKeia Ferreira-Spady to discuss the issues most important to the LGBTQ community.
The format was simple: Each candidate took the hot seat one after the other. Each was asked ten questions (five yes-or-no, four short answer, and one closing). By interviewing each candidate separately, the possibility for debate was eliminated, giving the candidates the opportunity to relax and hopefully answer in earnest.
Below, we have assembled the questions posed by Schelling and Ferreira-Spady, along with summaries of the answers from each candidate.
The Candidates (In order of appearance at the Forum):
Bill King: King is a long-time Houston resident who grew up in Galveston County. He had a long career at the Houston Chronicle and has since kept up with a personal blog, where he often outlines his mayoral platform ideas. He ran for mayor in 2015, but was defeated. The focus of his current run for mayor is the city’s budget.
Council Member Dwight Boykins: No-show.
Naoufal Houjami: Houjami is a Moroccan-American family man with a wife and four children. Houjami spoke about running Houston as he does his family—with love and zero tolerance for discrimination. He is a published author, an activist, and speaks six languages.
Demetria Smith: Smith is a businesswoman and self-proclaimed advocate for human rights. She sees the Houston mayoral office as an avenue to fight for social and criminal justice. Her stance is to “take back democracy” by “following the Constitution.”
Derrick Broze: A grassroots activist looking to take Houston in a new, more progressive direction. Decriminalization of marijuana, opposition to the drug war, hemp grown along the bayou to mitigate flooding, and urban gardens are all on Broze’s platform. He’s a staunch opponent to the human rights violations taking place at the detention centers along the border and elsewhere.
Former Council Member Sue Lovell: Lovell’s reputation precedes her. A six-year member of the City Council, the first female president of the Houston GLBT Political Caucus, and former member of the Democratic National Committee, Lovell was the only out LGBTQ candidate of the evening.
Tony Buzbee: Buzbee is a well-known Houston attorney and real estate developer. He is a former Marine and, for a time, served as the managing editor of the Houston Law Review. His private law practice has been in service since 2000, and he has since represented several celebrities and governmental organizations.
Mayor Sylvester Turner: A native of Houston’s Third Ward, Turner is the current Mayor of Houston, running for a second term. Prior to being elected Mayor, Turner was a lawyer and previously served in the Texas House of Representatives.
Lightning Round
Question 1: In 2015, the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance was placed on the ballot for a public vote. Did you vote to repeal the ordinance?
- King: Yes
- Houjami: No
- Smith: Yes
- Broze: No
- Lovell: No
- Buzbee: No
- Turner: No
Question 2: If elected, will you direct your administration to begin drafting a new nondiscrimination ordinance that covers LGBTQ people in public and private employment, housing, and public accommodations, and place it on the Council agenda?
- King: Yes
- Houjami: Yes
- Smith: Yes
- Broze: No
- Lovell: Yes
- Buzbee: Yes
- Turner: No
Question 3: Recently, the city of Waskom, Texas declared itself a “sanctuary city for the unborn” by passing a resolution banning most abortion procedures. Will you pledge if you are elected Mayor that you will not follow that path and that you will support access to constitutionally protected reproductive health care?
- King: [did not answer yes-or-no; said he supports reproductive health, but gave a non-answer]
- Houjami: Yes
- Smith: Yes
- Broze: Yes
- Lovell: Yes
- Buzbee: [did not answer yes-or-no; said he supports reproductive health, but gave a non-answer]
- Turner: Yes
Question 4: As Mayor, will you support increased funding for HIV and AIDS in the City of Houston?
- King: [did not answer yes-or-no; responded “depends on where the money is coming from.”]
- Houjami: Yes
- Smith: Yes
- Broze: Yes
- Lovell: Yes
- Buzbee: Yes
- Turner: Yes
Question 5: As Mayor, will you ensure that transgender City employees keep access to healthcare through their City insurance policies?
- King: Yes
- Houjami: Yes
- Smith: Yes
- Broze: Yes
- Lovell: Yes
- Buzbee: Yes
- Turner: Yes
Short Answer
Question 6: Tell us a time you supported an LGBTQ+ person personally or professionally.
- King: King’s daughter was friends with a young girl who was a lesbian. King shared an anecdote about how he felt that he helped the young woman navigate her conservative family.
- Houjami: Says that he treats everyone with respect, like they’re family.
- Smith: Says that she supports all people as equals, LGBTQ or not.
- Broze: Says that he is a firm believer that humans are humans regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
- Lovell: Lovell, who identifies as a lesbian, was asked, “Was there ever a time that you could have helped an LGBTQ+ person, but didn’t?” Her response was basically, “No.” She went on to talk about her consistent fights for equality, offering the quote, “If you don’t have a seat at the table, you’re on the menu.”
- Buzbee: Says that it “pisses [him] off” that there’s no protection for gender identity on the books. Says that he has represented many an LGBTQ clients in his practice, but due to lack of protections, he’s never legally been able to win one of those cases.
- Turner: Turner turned to his current term as Mayor, citing his appointment of Judge Fran Watson, and reappointment of Phyllis Frye. He also cited the creation of the LGBTQ Advisory Board.
Question 7: Nearly 25 percent of all homeless youth in the Houston region identify as LGBTQ. LGBTQ youth are at a higher risk of homelessness in part because of family rejection or ageing out of foster care. How would you address this crisis and tailor a response that specifically addresses issues that LGBTQ homeless youth face?
- King: Says that there are many paths to homelessness, and that we should focus on all of them. He’s not familiar with the specific issues faced by LGBTQ homeless youth.
- Houjami: Wants to implement “safe shelter” signs for LGBTQ youth so that they are more easily able to locate and access inclusive resources.
- Smith: Smith says that she would stick to the Constitution, providing protections across the board on all issues.
- Broze: The solution, Broze says, is sincere human relations. He garnered applause from the audience when he said that we, as a city, should not criminalize homelessness.
- Lovell: She has dealt with homelessness within her own family. She has a plan to listen to the specific needs of the homeless, which will aid in the creation of a fuller and more applicable plan to assist them.
- Buzbee: Buzbee criticized the current administration for not assisting with the problem. He says that homeless outreach programs work independently, which does not do much to help the broader issue. He plans to bring them together. However, according to a recent report in the Texas Tribune, this is already happening, and has led to a large decrease in the homeless population. Buzbee says that the problem is much worse than we’re being told.
- Turner: Turner says that his administration is already actively working on the issue, which is corroborated by the Tribune story. He says he wants to get rid of the youth curfew, which criminalizes homeless youth who have nowhere to go.
Question 8: The City of Houston has 18 sister cities around the world. Of those, at least five are in countries where being LGBTQ is currently illegal, or where LGBTQ people face threats of harassment and physical violence for being who they are. In your opinion, does the Mayor of Houston play a role in promoting civil rights around the world, particularly as the face of our city on trade missions to countries that may still criminalize and abuse LGBTQ people?
- King: King says yes, but that this would not be a focus of his administration.
- Houjami: Yes, as he would run Houston like his family, and there is no room for discrimination in that sense.
- Smith: Yes, she will defend human rights abroad by holding other elected officials accountable.
- Broze: Believes that this should be the role of the Mayor. We should not wait for the state or the nation to say something about human rights violations. He may even refuse business relations with human rights violators.
- Lovell: Says that we need to pass HERO. Calls it hypocritical for us to call out the anti-LGBTQ laws of other countries when we couldn’t get HERO passed in Houston.
- Buzbee: [Due to time limitations, Buzbee was not asked this question.]
- Turner: He is all for supporting sister cities that are progressive. He says to use Houston as an example: Texas tends to be unfriendly to the LGBTQ community, but Houston is, by contrast, progressive and welcoming. If a sister city is progressive, but within an oppressive state or nation, we should support that city so as to allow them to grow and change the tolerance of their own homeland.
Question 9: This year, 24 people have died in custody of Immigration Customs Enforcement, including a transgender woman in June. The Mayor is often the loudest voice representing Houston and has a moral responsibility to be a voice for their community. How will you use that voice to support and defend asylum seekers and undocumented residents?
- King: King says that he has a broad understanding of the immigration system and has written extensively about the issue for the Houston Chronicle and his own blog.
- Houjami: If you’re not a criminal, we need you in our city, he says. He also supports creating city driver’s licenses for undocumented residents.
- Smith: Gave a non-answer, simply saying that she aims to run the city by following the Constitution.
- Broze: Will defend undocumented residents and asylum seekers. He regularly protests at the detention center on Emancipation Street, and says that he will continue to do so as Mayor.
- Lovell: Says that this is a moral dilemma. She plans to create a worker program to allow undocumented residents to move freely and work in the city.
- Buzbee: He is anti–family separation, but said that he wants detention centers in the city, so as to call attention to them.
- Turner: Used his current administration as an example. His office has already opposed ICE, and he vows to continue to do so.
Closing Question
Question 10: Why are you the best person to represent the interests of the LGBTQ community?
- King: Says that he is the best for the City of Houston, not just the LGBTQ community. Plans to focus on issues that affect everyone, regardless of who you are, with major focuses on the city budget, flooding, and street repair.
- Houjami: Says that, as a public servant, he cannot say that he is the best person, as it is not his place. He plans to create a City of Houston Manager, with power split 35-35-30 percent. That is, 35 percent to both the Mayor and City Council, and 30 percent power to the new Manager, thus creating a system of checks and balances for the city government.
- Smith: In a passionate closing monologue, Smith said that we need to eliminate the Black Code Policy. She will stand up for all people, and for greater equality—despite earlier admitting that her problem with HERO was “the bathroom part.”
- Broze: He says that he is no millionaire, has no backroom deals at City Hall, and is a recovered addict who was a victim of the War on Drugs. He is an average guy who is anti-corruption, who wants not to speak for us, but to amplify our voices.
- Lovell: She says that there are plenty of other LGBTQ politicians and advocates “who haven’t done a damn thing.” She wants to make clear that just because she’s in the community, doesn’t mean that this is the sole reason we ought to vote for her. She has worked in government and will continue to fight for LGBTQ equality.
- Buzbee: Says that he’s inclusive, and cares not about who you are, but what you can bring to the table. What’s the good of advisor panels if you don’t listen to them, he asks.
- Turner: Says that he created his LGBTQ Advisory Board for this purpose—to be a better advocate for this population in our city. “An injustice done to one is an injustice done to all,” he concludes.
To watch Spectrum South’s full live stream of the Pride Forum, click here.
