Burnt Orange Report

Former Rep. Glen Maxey To Head Fight Against Same-Sex Marriage Ban

By Damon McCullar

From the LGRL release:

AUSTIN, TX - Former State Representative Glen Maxey of Austin has been named Campaign Director in the mounting effort to keep discriminatory language out of the Texas Constitution.

"We are excited and pleased to announce that the search for a campaign director to lead the coalition of Texans opposed to HJR 6 has been concluded, and that one of the premier political organizers in Texas will be at the helm," announced Jill Ireland and John Hintz, co-chairs of the Board of Directors of the Lesbian/Gay Rights Lobby of Texas. "Glen Maxey will bring his thirty-five years of experience to this critical civil rights battle to stop the enshrinement in our state Constitution of this unnecessary and discriminatory ballot measure."

Maxey will lead the effort to defeat the constitutional amendment prohibiting recognition of civil marriage or civil unions between persons of the same gender which the Legislature has placed on the November, 2005 statewide ballot.

"I'm eager to use my experience to bring a broad coalition of fair-minded Texans together to say 'No' to this nonsense in November. With public education, health care access, and rational and fair tax policy languishing, the Legislature spent their time and our tax dollars enacting this divisive, unnecessary amendment. They now are asking Texans to rubber stamp their efforts to deny many Texans the basic civil rights to protect their relationships and their family's property and inheritance rights, hospital visitation, and the hundreds of other rights and responsibilities brought by a civil marriage or civil union," said Maxey.

"This political wedge issue is a diversion from the real work the legislature failed to address. Texans understand that same-sex marriages are already illegal in Texas and that it is nonsense to, for the first time in history, use the most sacred document of the State of Texas, our Constitution, as a vehicle to deny rights, instead of protect people's rights," continued Maxey.

"Most Texans are embarrassed that they are being asked to ratify this kind of bigotry. We will mobilize them to act this November and vote to stop this nonsense."

Maxey, 53, is a native of Baytown, Texas and holds a Masters Degree in Education and a B.S. in Social Rehabilitation and Social Services from Sam Houston State University. He has a 35 year career in political activism, campaign management, and public policy. He has participated in hundreds of electoral campaigns ranging from municipal, county and school elections to Presidential campaigns and issue referendums. He was instrumental in the historic grass roots effort that helped elect Governor Ann Richards in 1990 and was the Texas statewide coordinator for Gov. Howard Dean's campaign in 2004. He has been an integral part of statewide campaigns for over three decades. His leadership in 2004 resulted in a historic voter turnout in Travis County local elections.

Long active in politics, he was a legislative aide to two state senators from 1981 to 1986, followed by four years as the Executive Director and lead lobbyist for the Lesbian/Gay Rights Lobby of Texas, where he led the efforts to enact rational HIV/AIDS policy during the hysteria of the AIDS epidemic in a hostile legislative environment.

He was elected to the Texas House in 1991 and made history as the first openly gay elected official in Texas. He served six terms in the Legislature before retiring in 2003. Serving on the Public Health, Human Services, and Appropriations Committees, he earned a reputation for being an expert on the legislative process, and he passed hundreds of bills during his tenure. He earned Legislator of the Year awards from dozens of organizations ranging from Common Cause and the Gray Panthers to the Sierra Club and the Texas Nurses Association. He was recognized as the House leader in the efforts to create the Children's Health Insurance Program, which brought health insurance coverage to 500,000 kids, and for his work on disability issues.