****Do YOU know Senfronia Thompson?****

[Bluebear]

Hear her words and you will know her...


....Rarely are the words of one state legislator worth national attention, but when Senfronia Thompson, a black representative from Houston, stalks to the back mike with a certain "get-out-of-my-way" look in her eye, it's, Katie, bar the door. Here is Thompson speaking against the Legislature's recent folly of putting a superfluous anti-gay marriage measure into the state constitution:

"I have been a member of this august body for three decades, and today is one of the all-time low points. We are going in the wrong direction, in the direction of hate and fear and discrimination. Members, we all know what this is about; this is the politics of divisiveness at it's worst, a wedge issue that is meant to divide....

"Members, this bill is about hate and fear and discrimination. . . When I was a small girl, white folks used to talk about 'protecting the institution of marriage' as well. What they meant was if people of my color tried to marry people of Mr. Chisum's color, you'd often find the people of my color hanging from a tree. . . . Fifty years ago, white folks thought interracial marriages were 'a threat to the institution of marriage.'....

"I have served in this body a lot of years, and I have seen a lot of promises broken. . . . So . . . now that blacks and women have equal rights, you turn your hatred to homosexuals, and you still use your misguided reading of the Bible to justify your hatred. You want to pass this ridiculous amendment so you can go home and brag -- brag about what? Declare that you saved the people of Texas from what?....

WELL worth a complete read of Molly Ivins' column:
http://www.creators.com/opinion_show.cfm?columnsName=miv

[WLKjr]

1. She is right, and I believe I have heard of this before

but she is right, who's gonna care in 50 years? I sure in the hell won't.

[Dogmudgeon]

2. Some of us DO care, and WILL care

You're being way too cynical. Sure, most people don't have much use for history, but nearly everyone can appreciate how people in the past worked and struggled and died to make our lives even a little better.

If you're referring to "50 years" as meaning you will be dead before then, you may be mistaken; but whether dead or alive, Ms. Thompson's voice will be one of those that helped the world along its often stupid way.

It's easy to become demoralized. But the Senfronia Thompsons of the world remind us that as illogical, irrational, and just plain futile as it may seem, hope is worth keeping.

--p!

[WLKjr]

23. wait, let me clarify what I meant

what I was meaning was who would care in 50 years about gays getting married.

You know, just like 50 years ago people cared about interacial marraige and now most people think nothing of it.

that's where I was comming from. I don't care now and I won't care then if gay people are getting married.

[Dogmudgeon]

31. "Never mind" -- E. Litella

I've been doing that a lot lately.

I have roughly the same attitude -- I never did understand why people got all worked up over such things as gay and inter-racial marriage. I thought you had given in to the despair of the age. Maybe it's the negativism of DU, or even just me. I'm relieved and glad that you haven't!

--p!

[Henny Penny]

3. It is amazing...

what people got so hot under the collar about in the old days. They thought all those issues meant the end of civilization!

I think the "who's gonna care" in 50 years type remark is very apt!

Its not about negating the importance of previous struggles, its about getting people to step back from stupid prejudices and recognizing them for what they are.

[Shallah Kali]

7. In 50 years people will be wondering how antigay people could be so dumb

Look at the one year anniversary of gay marrriage in Mass. No plagues of locusts. No rivers of blood. No hell fire and brimstone. No herds of heterosexuals running out and divorcing because their marriage is now devalued :b

[DrDebug]

4. Well spoken

Hatred, fear and discrimination. The three strongest tools to gain control over people.

Nominated as well

[Swamp Rat]

5. Senfronia Thompson

I'd like to read her story in a history book someday, the chapter after Rosa Parks.

Senfronia Thompson:yourock:

[goclark]

22. A New Hero nt

[slor]

6. Damn...I have a new...

member on my "Heroes List"! Well Said Senfronia Thompson. I used sort of the same point to convince some of the people in my African American community, that were troubled by gay marriage. Quite simply, if they take away gay rights, they will eventually come to take away ours. It seemed to work.

[Inland]

8. Recommended.

I liked Ivins's concluding sentence, that the TX legislature voted for it anyway.

[GOPisEvil]

9. Senfronia Thompson takes exactly ZERO crap.

She is a wonderful advocate for the disadvantaged and minority communities. She is an asset to the state of Texas and the Democratic party.

[Coexist]

10. great speech

[katinmn]

11. I found this comment incredibly disturbing:

"Last week, Republicans used a political wedge issue to pull kids -- sweet little vulnerable kids -- out of the homes of loving parents and put them back in a state orphanage just because those parents are gay. That's disgusting.


Is that true?? If so, we should raid the orphanage and get those little kids back into their homes!;(

[Bluebear]

13. That is indeed true

Chicago - The Texas house of representatives passed a bill on Wednesday banning homosexuals, bisexuals and transsexuals from being foster parents.

If the bill gains approval from the Texas senate, the state will be allowed to investigate the backgrounds of current foster parents and remove children living in non-heterosexual households.

All future foster parents will be required to disclose their sexual preference on an application form, a legislative aide said.

The move was denounced by local activists.

"More than 43 000 gay and lesbian couples in Texas are forming families and raising children, and this attack on LBGT (lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgendered) Texans will tear apart our families and remove our children from loving, stable families," the Lesbian/Gay Rights Lobby of Texas said in a statement.

http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_1693271,00.html

[katinmn]

17. I'm glad it hasn't passed the senate!

It better not. If the state tries to take children away from loving homes, biological or not, they've crossed the line and are no longer human in my book.

:mad:

[JerseygirlCT]

12. Another fabulous Ivins column.

Boy, I love that woman!

[G_j]

14. saved the people of Texas from what?....Nominated! n/t

[grace0418]

15. "Then they passed the amendment."

Absolutely sickening. But Senfronia Thompson is now on my hero list. All the more reason to get her, Molly Ivins, and all the good people in Texas OUT, then lock BushCo and all the brownshirts in Texas and throw away the key. Let them declare it their little monarchy and kill each other off and leave sane people in peace.

[Straight Shooter]

16. My grandmother hated my mother because she was a war bride.

Always referred to her as "that Italian."

FWIW, she despised anybody with other than Caucasian skin. Other than that, she was a person of great integrity. She and I butted heads over and over on the bigotry issue, but I could never change her mind. Some people, including most of the Texas legislature, are hopelessly stuck in primitive mode of fearing the unknown.

edit, forgot to add: Thanks, Bluebear, for posting this :thumbsup:

[Bluebear]

18. Did she pronounce it "Eye-talian"?

Just guessing! :)

[tk2kewl]

19. Get Ms. Thompson to Washington, pronto!

[Bluebear]

21. Wouldn't that be sweet!

To actually have someone speak with passion on the subject.

[Nothing Without Hope]

20. Also in a GLBT thread - I'll give MORE OF HER GREAT SPEECH HERE:

I hope she rises into national politics as another great star of the progressives. She could become a great leader in this country at a time when one is needed desperately.

Here's the GLBT thread:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=221x11978
Thread title: “Molly Ivins: Rep. Senfronia Thompson fights the Texas anti-gay amendment”

Here is Rep. Thompson's speech as excerpted by Molly Ivins in her column. It's striking that Molly wrote only two of her own paragraphs, followed by this lengthy excerpt, and finally the single damning sentence, "Then they passed the amendment."

(Mods - the following excerpt, though quoted in the Molly Ivins column linked to in the opening post, is from a speech in the Texas legislature and so is not subject to copyright.)

http://www.workingforchange.com/article.cfm?itemid=19098
(snip)
Excerpt from a speech in the Texas legislature by Rep. Senfronia Thompson:

"I have been a member of this august body for three decades, and today is one of the all-time low points. We are going in the wrong direction, in the direction of hate and fear and discrimination. Members, we all know what this is about; this is the politics of divisiveness at it's worst, a wedge issue that is meant to divide.

"Members, this is a distraction from the real things we need to be working on. At the end of this session, this Legislature, this leadership will not be able to deliver the people of Texas fundamental and fair answers to the pressing issues of our day.

"Let's look at what this amendment does not do: It does not give one Texas citizen meaningful tax relief. It does not reform or fully fund our education system. It does not restore one child to CHIP {Children's Health Insurance Program} who was cut from health insurance last session. It does not put one dime into raising Texas' Third World access to health care. It does not do one thing to care for or protect one elderly person or one child in this state. In fact, it does not even do anything to protect one marriage.

"Members, this bill is about hate and fear and discrimination... When I was a small girl, white folks used to talk about 'protecting the institution of marriage' as well. What they meant was if people of my color tried to marry people of Mr. Chisum's color, you'd often find the people of my color hanging from a tree... Fifty years ago, white folks thought interracial marriages were 'a threat to the institution of marriage.'

"Members, I'm a Christian and a proud Christian. I read the good book and do my best to live by it. I have never read the verse where it says, 'Gay people can't marry.' I have never read the verse where it says, 'Thou shalt discriminate against those not like me.' I have never read the verse where it says, 'Let's base our public policy on hate and fear and discrimination.' Christianity to me is love and hope and faith and forgiveness -- not hate and discrimination.

"I have served in this body a lot of years, and I have seen a lot of promises broken... So... now that blacks and women have equal rights, you turn your hatred to homosexuals, and you still use your misguided reading of the Bible to justify your hatred. You want to pass this ridiculous amendment so you can go home and brag -- brag about what? Declare that you saved the people of Texas from what?

"Persons of the same sex cannot get married in this state now. Texas law does not now recognize same-sex marriages, civil unions, religious unions, domestic partnerships, contractual arrangements or Christian blessings entered into in this state -- or anywhere else on this planet Earth.

"If you want to make your hateful political statements then that is one thing -- but the Chisum amendment does real harm. It repeals the contracts that many single people have paid thousands of dollars to purchase to obtain medical powers of attorney, powers of attorney, hospital visitation, joint ownership and support agreements. You have lost your way. This is obscene...

"I thought we would be debating economic development, property tax relief, protecting seniors' pensions and stem cell research to save lives of Texans who are waiting for a more abundant life. Instead we are wasting this body's time with this political stunt that is nothing more than constitutionalizing discrimination. The prejudices exhibited by members of this body disgust me.

"Last week, Republicans used a political wedge issue to pull kids -- sweet little vulnerable kids -- out of the homes of loving parents and put them back in a state orphanage just because those parents are gay. That's disgusting.

"I have listened to the arguments. I have listened to all of the crap... I want you to know that this amendment {is} blowing smoke to fuel the hell-fire flames of bigotry."
(snip)

[Zan_of_Texas]

24. Oh. Yeah!

Woooo! I'm nominating!

See?!?!?! Not ALL Texans are full of crap!

[Nothing Without Hope]

29. I'm a proud native Texan too, my dear - though I live in Massachusetts

It's good to feel pride in a native Texan pollitician, with all those slimes dirtying the state's reputation. We've had and have no lack of great men and women in public service, even though the slimes get most of the attention these days. Even Republicans! Ron Paul comes to mind...

I want to see a LOT more of the wonderful Ms. Thompson NATION-WIDE. She sounds like someone who could rally support and lift up hope and the will to fight.
:patriot: :applause: :patriot: :woohoo:

[Ms. Clio]

25. I'm shaking. Fantastic. Gorgeous. Bravissima, Ms. Thompson.

Oh, everyone please read every word of this.

[Bluebear]

26. Isn't it grand?

To hear someone actually speak against discrimination rather than mealy-mouthed avoidance of issues depending on which way the poll winds blow at the moment?

[Ms. Clio]

28. Yes, that's exactly why it was so soul-stirring

So few people have spoken so lucidly and passionately about civil rights since the 60s.

[eridani]

27. I do now!

And I hope she shows up on the Dean Dozen lists.

[fortyfeetunder]

30. Rep. Thompson is absofrigginlutely correct!

No denial there, she called these cretins for what they are. I am glad she got the publicity. I hope this is not the last we hear from her!