Let’s move on

A judge’s ruling should mark the end to Houston’s nondiscrimination fight.

A week has passed since a state district judge ruled that petitioners did not collect enough valid signatures to force a ballot referendum on Houston’s nondiscrimination ordinance, and so far the city has not descended into flames and restrooms remain free of routine molestation. (“Petition on city’s bias law invalid,” Page A1, April 18). No surprises there.

Cities across the United States have had nondiscrimination protections for gays, lesbians and transgender people for years. Dallas has had a similar ordinance for more than a decade, and the state of Minnesota first prohibited discrimination against transgender people in public accommodations more than 20 years ago. If Houston’s nondiscrimination ordinance actually risked inflicting the imaginative parade of horribles that opponents predicted, some friendly Minnesotans likely would have warned us with a kindly “don’tcha know.”

On the other hand, we know well the dangers that come from discriminatory policies — public strife and backlash from businesses. Indiana learned this lesson last month when concerts, conventions and business expansions were cancelled in reaction to a state law that created overly broad protections for discriminatory acts.

There’s a reason why companies like AT&T and United Airlines supported the nondiscrimination ordinance in Houston, and why groups like the Texas Association of Business are working to block some of the more egregious antiLGBT legislation in Austin. Diversity is good for business.

Companies today more than ever have to appeal to a broader spectrum of society. The workplace and its workers are changing. Companies must keep up as they compete for the rising tide of Millennial employees and consumers who overwhelmingly support LGBT issues.

“Think about the energy industry that is trying to recruit the best and brightest talent here,” Christina Gorczynski, campaign director for Texas Wins, a group that aims to prevent discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodations, told the Chronicle editorial board. “And they have all these people who are like: ‘I don’t want to live [where people discriminate]. I don’t want to be in that kind of environment.’”

A company’s bottom line shouldn’t dictate political debate, but these big corporations know they have to operate in a society that has shifted its taboos concerning homophobia. Dragging out the fight over Houston’s nondiscrimination ordinance will only weaken our economic competitiveness.

So after days of testimony at City Council, months of public debate, a referendum campaign and a lawsuit, you can’t claim that nondiscrimination opponents didn’t fight the good fight. But now it is time to bury the hatchet. Legal appeals risk keeping the non-discrimination ordinance in courts — and headlines — for years. Houston received enough bad press after the Parker administration’s clumsy and inappropriate attempted subpoena of pastors’ sermons opposing the ordinance. The last thing Houstonians should want is continued collateral damage. If we are going to be a city of opportunity, then our political leaders must guarantee that it is opportunity for everyone.

Whether Space City or the energy capital of the world, Houston has always been a place that looks forward. It is time to leave this fight in the past and move on to what’s next.