LGBTQ Quality of Life Advisory Commission - April 15, 2024
LGBTQ Quality of Life Advisory Commission Regular Meeting of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Quality of Life Advisory Commission - City of Austin Permitting and Development Center, 6310 Wilhelmina Delco Dr., Austin, Texas 78752
REGULAR MEETING of the LGBTQ QUALITY OF LIFE ADVISORY COMMISSION Monday, April 15, 2024, at 6:30 P.M. City of Austin Permitting and Development Center, Room 1407 6310 Wilhelmina Delco Dr., Austin, Texas 78752 MEETING AGENDA Some members of the Commission may be participating by videoconference. Public comment will be allowed in-person or remotely via telephone. Speakers may only register to speak on an item once, either in-person or remotely, and will be allowed up to three minutes to provide their comments. Registration no later than noon the day before the meeting is required for remote participation by telephone. To register to speak remotely, contact Alyssa Parra, the Commission’s staff liaison, at 512-974-2934 or Alyssa.Parra@AustinTexas.gov. CURRENT COMMISSIONERS: Commissioner Dereca Sims Christian Aguirre Yuri G Barragán VACANT Jerome Benson David Garza J. Scott Neal, Chair CALL TO ORDER PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL Appointment Commissioner Appointment District 1 District 2 District 3 District 4 District 5 District 6 District 7 Garry Brown Mariana Krueger Brandon Wollerson Marti Bier Charles Curry Dr. Melissa Taylor Morgan Davis Alexander Andersen AGENDA District 8 District 9 District 10 Mayor Stakeholder Stakeholder Stakeholder Stakeholder The first ten speakers signed up before the meeting is called to order will each be allowed a three-minute allotment to address their concerns regarding items not posted on the agenda. Page 1 of 4 MOTION TO SUSPEND ROBERT’S RULES OF ORDER APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approve the minutes of the Commission’s Regular Meeting on March 11, 2024. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 2. Discussion and approval of a recommendation on transgender and sexual identity protections. 3. Discussion and approval of a recommendation for an LGBTQ Community Cultural Center and related community 4. Conduct officer elections for positions of LGBTQ Commission chair and vice chair positions. 5. Discussion and vote on new Joint Inclusion Commission Representatives. issues. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS ADJOURNMENT The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. Meeting locations are planned with wheelchair access. If requiring Sign Language Interpreters or alternative formats, please give notice at least two days (48 hours) before the meeting date. Please get in touch with Alyssa Parra, the Commission’s staff liaison, at 512-974-2934 or Alyssa.Parra@AustinTexas.gov for additional information; TTY users route through Relay Texas at 711. For more information on the LGBTQ Quality of Life Advisory Commission, please get in touch …
LGBTQ QUALITY OF LIFE ADVISORY COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION 20240415‐2 Transgender and Sexual Identity Protections WHEREAS, the City of Austin has been one of the fastest‐growing cities in the United States for over a decade, resulting in rapidly increasing demands on housing, infrastructure, public safety, and other city resources; and WHEREAS, in 2023, the Texas state legislature passed legislation restricting or criminalizing access to gender‐affirming healthcare across Texas, which was subsequently signed by the governor and became law effective September 1, 2023; and WHEREAS, as a home‐rule city, the City has the authority and responsibility to prioritize the use of its limited resources and taxpayer dollars to address the most urgent needs of all residents, including focusing the use of public safety resources on substantive and broad threats to residents’ safety and livelihood; and WHEREAS the City Council recognizes that families and healthcare providers in Austin are living in uncertainty and fear, and many are considering moving away or have already moved to other states to access medical care for their children or to be able to practice medicine freely in accordance with professional and ethical standards; and WHEREAS multiple healthcare providers in Texas have scaled back healthcare services in response to legal challenges, perception of legal risk, harassment, or threats of violence; and WHEREAS gender‐affirming healthcare has been proven to be evidence‐based, medically necessary, and lifesaving by the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the American Academy of Pediatricians, the Endocrine Society, the American Psychiatric Association, and the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, amongst other institutions; and WHEREAS, studies have shown that gender transition, including access to gender‐affirming healthcare, improves the overall well‐being of transgender people and that access to gender‐affirming healthcare for youth is associated with better mental health outcomes and lower risks of suicide; and WHEREAS over 94 percent of LGBTQ+ youth surveyed by the Trevor Project in late 2021 said recent politics have negatively impacted their mental health, and 93 percent of transgender and nonbinary youth surveyed by the Trevor Project in 2022 said they have worried about transgender people being denied access to gender‐affirming medical care due to state or local laws; and WHEREAS, a majority of U.S. adults agree that transgender minors should have access to gender‐ affirming care; and WHEREAS, the City of Austin has consistently declared its commitment to furthering transgender equity and supporting its transgender and nonbinary …
LGBTQ QUALITY OF LIFE ADVISORY COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION 20240415-2 Transgender and Gender Expansive and Sexual Identity Protections WHEREAS, the City of Austin has been one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States for over a decade, resulting in rapidly increasing demands on housing, infrastructure, public safety, and other city resources; and WHEREAS, in 2023, the Texas state legislature passed legislation restricting or criminalizing access to gender-affirming healthcare across Texas, which was subsequently signed by the governor and became law effective September 1, 2023; and WHEREAS, as a home-rule city, the City has the authority and responsibility to prioritize the use of its limited resources and taxpayer dollars to address the most urgent needs of all residents, including focusing the use of public safety resources on substantive and broad threats to residents’ safety and livelihood; and WHEREAS the City Council recognizes that families and healthcare providers in Austin are living in uncertainty and fear, and many are considering moving away or have already moved to other states to access medical care for their children or to be able to practice medicine freely in accordance with professional and ethical standards; and WHEREAS multiple healthcare providers in Texas have scaled back healthcare services in response to legal challenges, perception of legal risk, harassment, or threats of violence; and WHEREAS gender-affirming healthcare has been proven to be evidence-based, medically necessary, and lifesaving by the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the American Academy of Pediatricians, the Endocrine Society, the American Psychiatric Association, and the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, amongst other institutions; and WHEREAS, studies have shown that gender transition, including access to gender-affirming healthcare, improves the overall well-being of transgender and Gender Expansive people and that access to gender- affirming healthcare for youth is associated with better mental health outcomes and lower risks of suicide; and WHEREAS over 94 percent of LGBTQ+ youth surveyed by the Trevor Project in late 2021 said recent politics have negatively impacted their mental health, and 93 percent of transgender and nonbinary youth surveyed by the Trevor Project in 2022 said they have worried about transgender and gender expansive people being denied access to gender-affirming medical care due to state or local laws; and WHEREAS, a majority of U.S. adults agree that transgender and gender-expansive minors should have access to gender-affirming care; and WHEREAS, the City of Austin has consistently declared its …
REGULAR MEETING of the LGBTQ QUALITY OF LIFE ADVISORY COMMISSION Monday, April 15, 2024 at 6:30 P.M. City of Austin Permitting and Development Center, Room 1401 6310 Wilhelmina Delco Dr., Austin, Texas 78752 MEETING MINUTES Some members of the Commission may be participating by videoconference. Public comment will be allowed in‐person or remotely via telephone. Speakers may only register to speak on an item once, either in‐person or remotely, and will be allowed up to three minutes to provide their comments. Registration no later than noon the day before the meeting is required for remote participation by telephone. To register to speak remotely, contact Alyssa Parra, the Commission’s staff liaison, at 512‐974‐2934 or Alyssa.Parra@AustinTexas.gov. CURRENT COMMISSIONERS: Appointment Commissioner Gary Brown District 1 District 2 District 3 District 4 District 5 District 6 District 7 Mariana Krueger Brandon Wollerson Marti Bier Charles Curry Dr. Melissa Taylor Morgan Davis Alexander Andersen Minutes Appointment District 8 District 9 District 10 Mayor Stakeholder Stakeholder Stakeholder Stakeholder Commissioner Dereca Sims Christian Aguirre Yuri G Barragán VACANT Jerome Benson David Garza J. Scott Neal, Chair CALL TO ORDER ROLL CALL: Absent: Marti Bier Dereca Sims Chair Scott called to order at 6:41 PM Page 1 of 4 Present: Jerome Benson (Jerry Joe) John Scott Neal ● Christian Aguirre ● ● ● Gary Brown ● Brandon Wollerson ● Charles Curry Mariana Krueger (virtual) Yuri G Barragán ● Alexander Andersen Morgan Davis David Garza Melissa Taylor (virtual) PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL Doug Greco‐ Cultural Center World Famous Bob‐ Cultural center Katie‐ Cultural Center Clayton Gibson‐ Cultural Center Gabby‐ Cultural Center Chloe‐ Transgender healthcare ordinance‐ Cultural center Skyer‐ Transgender healthcare ordinance Jessica Cohen‐ Transgender healthcare ordinance Lorén‐ Transgender healthcare ordinance Shane Walley‐ Transgender healthcare ordinance Ricardo‐ Cultural Center MOTION TO SUSPEND ROBERT’S RULES OF ORDER Motioned by Commissioner Anderson and seconded by Commissioner Brown, it passed unanimously by roll call vote with Commissioner Garza off the dais. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Motion by Commissioner Neal, Seconded by Commissioner Davis, to approve the minutes of the Commission’s Regular Meeting on March 11, 2024, passed unanimously by Commissioner Garza off the dais. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 2. Motion to approve the recommendation by Commissioner Neal, seconded by Commissioner Jerry Joes, Passed by roll call vote with all in favor except Commissioner Garza Abstaining. Page 2 of 4 3. Discussion and approval of a recommendation for …
