Many were taken aback when Houstons Equal Rights Ordinance, or HERO, was defeated on Wednesday, November 4th. Had the bill been passed, HERO would have eradicated discrimination based on age, military status, gender identity, race, disability and 10 other categories. In opposition to the bill, many protested that they did not want men to go into women's bathrooms, a demagogic notion created through various transgender protections in the bill. Seth Meyers used the platform of his show, Late Night With Seth Meyers, to explain, humorously, why this bill did not pass.
According to Refinery29.com, in a segment called "a closer look," Meyers examines the nationwide popularity of the bill, with proponents including President Barack Obama, Apple Inc, and General Electric. Meyers asserts that among the many protections in the bill, gender identity was the one that invited the ire of Houston voters. The comedian says that the law's opponents focused on the transgender protections, falsely claiming that they would allow anyone to enter the opposite sex's bathroom at any time. Meyers calls this the "bathroom myth." He asserted that the, "ads focused exclusively on the bathroom issue even though the law had nothing to do with that." He also pointed out that there has not been a reported issue of sexual assault or inappropriateness in any other American cities with such ordinances.
Meyers continued, "The idea that you could go into a bathroom, and do anything other than use the toilet is already illegal in Houston... It would be wrong to paint Houston as an intolerant city." Houston's mayor, Annise Parker, is openly gay, and has served three terms for the city. Further, she was a major proponent of the bill.
Meyers asserts that the scare tactics worked, and are being used across the country, including in the political campaigns of presidential hopefuls like Mike Huckabee.
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