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Jonah Murray, a member of Fort Worth’s Human Relations Commission, watches a presentation during the commission’s meeting Sept. 16, 2024. (Cecilia Lenzen | Fort Worth Report)
” data-medium-file=”https://fortworthreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/IMG_4213-scaled.jpg?fit=300%2C225&ssl=1″ data-large-file=”https://fortworthreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/IMG_4213-scaled.jpg?fit=780%2C585&ssl=1″ tabindex=”0″ role=”button”>In a “show of commitment” to LGBTQ residents, Fort Worth leaders have created a committee designed to inform and advise City Council and the city manager on matters related to the LGBTQ community. The new advisory committee — a first of its kind in Fort Worth — will focus on LGBTQ concerns, identifying equal opportunities for LGBTQ residents and providing education on LGBTQ topics, said Christina Brooks, the director of the city’s diversity and inclusion department. “This is a show of commitment from the city that this is something we will continually talk about,” Brooks told the Report. The advisory committee will fall under the umbrella of the city’s Human Relations Commission, a board of 11 council-appointed volunteers who advise the council and city manager on matters involving racial, religious or ethnic discrimination. The LGBTQ committee is the commission’s second subcommittee, joining the Mayor’s Committee on Persons with Disabilities created in 2016. During their Sept. 16 meeting, members of the commission voted to appoint commissioner Jonah Murray as the LGBTQ subcommittee’s liaison. Murray, who represents District 11 on the commission, also serves as the treasurer for Finn’s Place, a nonprofit community center that serves transgender people in Fort Worth. The vote came months after the committee’s formal creation in January, and more than a year after Murray first formed the idea. He began working in summer 2023 to initiate the committee’s creation as a “pipeline for queer voices to be continually heard by the city of Fort Worth.” When it came time to appoint a liaison for the committee this month, Murray readily stepped up for the role. “Every spark of change, everything starts at the local level. That’s something that I really believe in,” Murray said. “And as a trans person, and particularly as a white, male-presenting trans person, I have so much more privilege than a lot of other trans people, and I feel a responsibility to use my voice in a way that can lift up the rest of my community.”He said the advisory committee’s creation marks a step forward for the city, especially as LGBTQ community members report heightened concern over discrimination and civil rights protections. Those concerns range from state prohibitions on transgender health care to a Texas federal judge’s ruling to block the Biden administration’s expanded anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ students.Heading into the November election, congressional Republicans are spending millions of dollars on television ads targeting Texas Democrats for supporting pro-LGBTQ legislation, according to The Texas Tribune. “We live in a state, as queer people, that is not super welcoming and that is often legislatively attacking our community,” Murray said. “2024 is a great time to really commit to connecting with the LGBTQ community as the 2025 state legislative session is just around the corner.”Over the last year, Fort Worth has been in the spotlight for a number of incidents affecting the LGBTQ community that have resulted in city policy changes.In June 2023, Mayor Mattie Parker faced criticism — including from Murray — about her decision to remove an LGBTQ Pride badge from her annual summer reading program. At the time, Parker acknowledged that LGBTQ residents felt attacked by the move, but she said the reading challenge should be focused on literacy alone. This June, City Council declined to issue a proclamation recognizing several LGBTQ-serving nonprofits for their work during Pride month, after four council members decided not to sign off on the recognition. One of those members, Charlie Lauersdorf, previously told the Report he couldn’t support the proclamation without knowing each organization’s stance on topics such as transgender children. The incident, in addition to other issues cited by council members, ultimately led City Council to do away with unanimous council proclamations, moving forward with a form of recognition issued solely by the mayor, at the mayor’s discretion. Also in June, the city garnered scrutiny over allowing a conservative political action group to host an event on “the impact of LGBT ideology, the social contagion of transgenderism, and the dangers of pornography” at a city-owned community center. Backlash over the event — as well as a conference featuring sessions on “The War On White America” and “The Case For Christian Nationalism” at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden — prompted Parker to task staff with reevaluating city policies regulating how private groups and individuals can rent city-owned facilities. The review is still underway, with updates expected in September. Although she did not attribute its creation to any specific incident, Brooks said the committee was needed to move the city forward in a way that is welcoming to all Fort Worth residents. “You are talking about a segment of the population who is sometimes invisible, and so this is an opportunity to make sure that their voices are heard on important issues within our community,” Brooks said. “It’s kind of like asking, ‘Why is there oxygen?’ Because it’s necessary for people to function. When you hear from multiple groups of people and understand different perspectives, we make better decisions as a city.” Karen Johnson, chair of Fort Worth’s Human Relations Commission, watches a presentation during a commission meeting Sept. 16, 2024. (Cecilia Lenzen | Fort Worth Report)The committee will be made up of 11 members to represent each of the city’s council districts. Karen Johnson, chair of the Human Relations Commission, will appoint members to the committee.  Those interested in serving on the advisory committee will have the chance to apply in the coming months. Brooks said city staff and the Human Relations Commission are working to finalize next steps for the subcommittee, and she expects the commission to approve the next step at its meeting in October. Information about how to apply to serve on the commission will be posted on the city’s website when it becomes available. Members will serve two-year terms, and the committee will meet on a monthly basis. Cecilia Lenzen is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at cecilia.lenzen@fortworthreport.org or @bycecilialenzen. Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect the council’s proclamation process. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.