Testimony
before the Texas House Public Education Committee regarding House Bill 1568
(Drew Springer)
April 9, 2013
Good Afternoon. My name is Paul Henley, and I am from Sunny
Pflugerville—God’s Country—the 7-8-6-6-0.
Today, I am wearing a Wallace for President button, the same button I
brought to the Inauguration a few months back. Today, it stands as a reminder
of how far we have come as a society. But it also stands as a reminder that
history records those who stand on the wrong side of progress.
George
Wallace eventually renounced segregationism. Wallace said that he
did not wish to meet his Maker with unforgiven sin. I hope he’s in Heaven, but
this pin with his name doesn’t spread a message of his personal epiphany and
redemption. His name is synonymous with racism, and it will remain so for
generations.
Your
votes and words get recorded and written. Your children, grandchildren, and
great grandchildren will inherit the legacy of your politics, whether they want
it or not.
And
history remains the greatest scorekeeper in politics.
In
40 years, this debate will look much like the racial inequality debates did 50
years ago. It’s pretty hard to miss the opinion and voting pattern movement in
the nation and in Texas. You are smack in the middle of the civil rights issue
of our time, whether you see it that way or not.
It
gets worse with this bill, though. House Bill 1568 would punish Pflugerville
ISD for allowing domestic partners to purchase health insurance. A yes vote at
any point will go down in history as an attempt not only to dehumanize the GLBT
community—it will also have you on record using your power to deny health care
to people based on whom they love.
That’s
a legacy and a history I wouldn’t want associated with my name.
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