I may have found my candidate for Governor of Texas...

Hank Gilbert, Democratic candidate for Texas Governor has just issued a statement in which he sets forth the following goals:

• proposes allowing civil unions in Texas, and repealing the Texas Defense of Marriage Act.
• proposes legislation prohibiting employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity or expression.
• proposes legislation prohibiting insurance companies from considering a history of transition treatments as a reason to deny coverage
• proposes legislation allowing Texas public and governmental institutions—including all universities, public school districts, municipalities, and all governmental entities to offer same-sex domestic partner benefits.
• proposes prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity or expression in housing, public accommodations, and real estate transactions.
• Ending Discrimination For Public School Employees.
• proposes legislation prohibiting the electronic sharing of information related to a person’s sexuality on medical records
• proposes legislation establishing the authority of domestic partners in medical decision making
• Ending baseless lawsuits challenging the veracity of medical powers of attorney for LGBT couples.
• proposes tough anti-bullying statutes.
• proposes removing the requirement stipulating that adopted children must have both male and female parents on their birth certificate.
• proposes expanding the James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Act to include gender identity or expression.
• proposes making it less difficult for transgender individuals to change the gender marker on birth certificates and state identification cards.
• proposes repealing §21.06 of the Texas Penal Code, the “Homosexual Conduct Law,” which was declared unconstitutional by the US Supreme Court in 2005.
• proposes affirmative defenses to protect gay teens from disparate treatment under the Texas Penal Code.      

And this personal message:

Fellow Texans:

I introduce this policy for two reasons.

Number one, it is what I believe. I was raised in a home where discrimination had no place. I was raised to treat all people equally. For me, knowing that discrimination exists in Texas and doing nothing about it goes against everything I stand for. It also makes all those who remain silent passive participants in discrimination.

The office of governor is, among other things, a position from which to lead the state toward innovations in public policy which will lead to a better future for all Texans.. For someone to seek that office—let alone attain it—and stay quiet on an issue they strongly believe in, because it is perceived as controversial or untimely, is unconscionable.

Number two, this is what is right for Texas. The issue of equality for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender individuals is the new civil rights battle of the 21st century. When it came to the civil rights battles of the last two centuries involving African Americans and Latinos, Texas came to sit at the table of equality very late.

It is a mistake we cannot repeat. LGBT citizens in Texas deserve more. Our state must not relegate any Texan to the status of second-class citizens.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we have ourselves a candidate.