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Dallas Voice: Tarrant County Stonewall Dems fundraiser banks $20K to back Sen. Wendy Davis, House candidates

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Published on Friday, 25 May 2012 14:32

The Tarrant County Stonewall Democrats raised close to $20,000 Wednesday night at the Spring Fundraising Kick-off Party in Fort Worth.

The event was the group’s launch for fundraising efforts and will go toward backing Sen. Wendy Davis’ campaign in the general election. She is unopposed in the primary. In addition, funds will go to state House candidates and the Congressional District 33 Democratic candidate selected in the primary, chapter President Felipe Gutierrez said.

Read more at http://m.dallasvoice.com/tarrant-county-stonewall-dems-raise-20k-sen-wendy-davis-house-candidates-10115538.html

Texas Stonewall Democratic Caucus announces 2012 awards

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Published on Friday, 18 May 2012 20:23

The Texas Stonewall Democratic Caucus announced that it will present three awards at the Texas Democratic Convention in Houston next month. The awards will recognize a straight ally for outstanding leadership, a local Stonewall Democrats chapter for its political achievements and a party official for his advocacy of LGBT equality in the Democratic Party.

The awards will be presented during a pre-convention reception hosted by TSDC at the Hilton Americas Hotel in Houston on Thursday, June 7.

JC Dufresne - Buck Massey Legacy of Leadership Award

jc dufresneJC Dufresne, a straight ally and member of the State Democratic Executive Committee from Senate District 25, will be the recipient of the Buck Massey Legacy of Leadership Award. The award is named after Lester “Buck” Massey, a beloved LGBT Democratic leader and SDEC member from Dallas who died in 2007.

A native of Louisiana, Dufresne moved with his wife and daughter to the San Antonio area in 2001 and lives in Cibolo in Guadalupe County. He was inspired by Howard Dean in 2004 and became actively involved in 2007 by becoming a Democratic precinct chair. Dufresne is a board member of Common Cause of Texas, an advisory board member of the San Antonio chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church and State and an active member of his local MoveOn council.

Dufresne has written frequently published letters to the editor of several newspapers on a wide variety of progressive issues. He is also an appointed member of the Student Health Advisory Committee for the Schertz/Cibolo/Universal City ISD where he successfully advocated for moving from abstinence only sex education to the far more effective abstinence plus model.

In 2010 Dufresne ran unopposed for SDEC Committeeman representing SD 25 and is running for re-election to that seat. In 2011, he led the effort within the SDEC to include progressive issues, including marriage equality, as referenda on the 2012 Democratic Primary ballot.

When the SDEC declined to include marriage equality and other progressive issues on the ballot, he then advocated for their inclusion as planks in the State Democratic Party platform. Dufresne singlehandedly identified and organized other progressive SDEC members across the state to support these initiatives.

The Stonewall Democrats of Dallas - Roberto J. Flores Club Achievement Award

stonewall Dallas conventionThe Stonewall Democrats of Dallas will be presented the Roberto J. Flores Club Achievement Award, named in memory of a beloved LGBT Democratic leader from San Antonio who died in 2010.

Founded in 1996 (before the founding of National Stonewall Democrats), SDD is the first and largest of the active Stonewall Democrats clubs in Texas with some 400 dues-paying members. It is also one of the largest Stonewall Democrats organizations in the nation.
SDD gave birth to a number of other clubs in north Texas and elsewhere. Several SDD members were also instrumental in forming the Texas Stonewall Democratic Caucus in 2000 and enabling the TSDC to gain recognition as the official LGBT Caucus of the Texas Democratic Party.

Along the way, SDD has also provided sample bylaws, endorsement procedures, and other “best practices” on which other clubs have modeled their growth and political activism. As one of the most influential Democratic organizations in Dallas County, SDD played a major role in turning Dallas County “blue” in 2006 and keeping it “blue” in every election since. SDD members are actively involved as precinct chairs and in registering and mobilizing new LGBT voters to show up at the polls.

Texas Democratic Party Chairman Boyd Richie - Lone Star Equality Advocate Award

boyd richieTexas Democratic Party Chairman Boyd Richie will be honored with the Lone Star Equality Advocate Award. Richie is stepping down as State Party Chair after six years in that position. His successor will be elected at the convention in Houston.

During his first speech as Chairman in 2006, Richie's message to Texas Democrats was “our job is not win arguments, but to win elections” and announced his five point plan to revitalize the Texas Democratic Party and expand field staff and grassroots trainings, build a pro-active communications team and incorporate modern technology into the Party’s fundraising, communications and outreach strategies.

A lawyer in private practice for over 36 years, he also served for three terms as County Attorney for Young County in rural north central Texas. Prior to being elected Chair, Richie served two terms on the State Democratic Executive Committee and was Chair of the Audit Subcommittee of the Finance Committee. He has been an ally of the Texas Stonewall Democratic Caucus and was a featured speaker at TSDC statewide conferences in 2009 and 2011.

In 2011, Richie was the first party official to call for the resignation of the County Chair of the Bexar County Democratic Party after that person made homophobic and racist comments to the media. In May of this year, he publicly declared his support for adding a marriage equality plank to the Democratic Party Platform. Boyd resides in Graham, Texas with his wife of 43 years, DNC Member Betty Richie.

Glen Maxey Endorsed by TSDC for DNC

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Published on Monday, 14 May 2012 16:47
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For Further Information, Contact
Daniel Graney at (210) 380-8779 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 TEXAS STONEWALL DEMOCRATS ENDORSE GLEN MAXEY FOR DNC

Glen Maxey(May 9, 2012)  The Texas Stonewall Democratic Caucus (TSDC) Executive Board voted to endorse openly gay former State Representative Glen Maxey for an open seat on the Democratic National Committee (DNC).    If elected, Maxey will succeed openly lesbian former Houston City Councilwoman Sue Lovell, who has held this seat for many years.  Lovell announced earlier this year that she was not seeking re-election for another term on the DNC.

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We Have Resolutions!

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Published on Thursday, 15 March 2012 16:25

Download these LGBT-related resolutions and platform proposals and present them at your County/Senatorial District Convention on April 21.  We need to get these passed in as many County/Senatorial District conventions as possible so that they will receive serious consideration at our State Democratic Convention in Houston on June 8-9.

We have straight allies on the SDEC who are supporting our efforts to get a marriage equality plank added to the State Party Platform.  They are asking for our support to include planks on other issues.  If you support these initiatives, feel free to download and print these resolutions and take them with you to your county/senatorial district convention:

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  4. Texas Stonewall Democrats Endorse Gilberto Hinojosa for TDP Chair
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