The Texas House of Representatives on Monday will hear testimony regarding a proposed amendment to the state constitution that would ban same-sex marriage.

Introduced by State Rep. Warren Chisum (R-Pampa), House Joint Resolution 6 states that marriage in Texas shall be between one man and one woman.

The hearing on the bill will be conducted Monday by the nine-member State Affairs Committee, a group that will decide whether to kill the bill or send it to the House floor for further discussion and a possible vote.

Republican State Rep. Martha Wong of Houston sits on the committee. Gay activists like Randall Ellis, executive director of the Lesbian Gay Rights Lobby of Texas (LGRL), say as they look at the committee make-up, Wong’s decision may be the swing vote that decides whether the bill goes to the House floor.

Wong defeated longtime Democratic incumbent Debra Danburg in 2002 after redistricting divided Montrose into three sections and sent Danburg into District 134 that includes a third of Montrose and heavily Republican areas to the west.

Wong has said in recent media interviews that she has not decided how she will vote on the issue, but in Houston, Equality Knocks and the Houston Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus (PAC) last weekend began a campaign to convince Wong to vote against sending the bill to the full House.

Tammi Wallace, former project director of Equality Knocks and an HGLPC board member, said volunteers last Saturday distributed 3,700 door hangers in Wong’s District 134 that urge her constituents to contact her regarding the bill.

“Our work was very targeted,” she said. “This is our work in action from last year. These are the people who most likely would pick up the phone and call.”

In 2004, Equality Knocks conducted block walks and voter identification drives at various events that identified thousands of voters who do not favor amending the state constitution to ban same-sex marriage.

It was to those voters that the door hangers were distributed, Wallace said.

The text on the door hangers reads, “Save our Constitution. Your State Rep. Martha Wong needs to hear from you now.”

Voters are urged to contact Wong and let her know their views on HJR 6.

In some cases, Wallace, said those receiving the flyers indicated they definitely would contact Wong.

The pressure is on
“I think she’s feeling the pressure,” Wallace said.

She pointed out, “The thing about Rep. Wong is that she lives in one of the most affluent and most educated districts in the state. A lot of voters see this for what it is.”

Also, Wallace noted, “We think a lot of people on the State Affairs Committee don’t want to amend the State Constitution for this reason.”

In addition to the 3,700 door hangers that volunteers distributed on Saturday, Wallace said, more are being left on doorknobs throughout the week.

Wallace and at least two other activists from Houston will be in Austin on Monday for the hearing that is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m.

LGRL is urging anyone who would like to testify against the resolution to attend the hearing. The group released a statement indicating that the hearing is the only occasion where public testimony will be heard regarding the bill.

“This is the most critical point to date in our efforts to defeat the anti-gay Texas Marriage Amendment,” the statement says.

The other Houston legislator on the committee is State Rep. Jessica Farrar, a Democrat who has been outspoken in her support of gay civil rights.

At a meeting earlier in the week, State Rep. Garnett Coleman (D-Houston) voiced his opposition to the amendment.

“Our constitution was written to preserve rights, not deny them,” Coleman said. “This amendment is unnecessary, it is divisive and it hurts Texas families.”

The Houston Voice tried to contact Wong, but she was involved on the House floor with legislation she is supporting and could not be reached for comment.

Beyond the work done in Wong’s district on Saturday, Wallace said, the caucus is now in a position to mobilize thousands to oppose anti-gay legislation.

“It’s important to note that the caucus is sitting on a 50,000-person database that we can mobilize,” she said.

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