Will San Antonio take a harder stance on anti-LGBTQ bills in Austin next year?

SAN ANTONIO – At least some city council members want San Antonio to take a harder stance on LGBTQ-related legislation when the Texas Legislature convenes in January.

Efforts to restrict LGBTQ rights are frequently high-profile parts of Texas’ biennial legislative sessions, including bills to block transgender people from using the bathroom that matches their gender identity, keep transgender students from playing on school sports teams that match their gender identity, or restrict some public drag performances.

But while city priorities like maintaining local rule-making authority and increasing housing affordability are included in San Antonio’s proposed legislative program, LGBTQ issues are not — at least, not explicitly.

City staff briefed members of the council’s Intergovernmental Relations Committee Wednesday on the six-page draft document, which broadly lays out what types of issues city government affairs staff will support or fight during the legislative session in Austin.

Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez (D2), San Antonio’s first openly gay councilman, said he was concerned the city would not make enough of an effort to support or oppose legislation affecting the LGBTQ community.

“The LGBTQ+ community has been a target of attack and a clear focus of the state,” McKee-Rodriguez said during Thursday’s meeting. “And I don’t see anything in here — outside of (the) protection of our nondiscrimination ordinance, which doesn’t go far enough — I don’t see anything that indicates that level of support.”

City staff said they have taken stances on similar issues in the past. Assistant City Manager Jeff Coyle said the general view is that LGTBQ bills fall under upholding the city’s NDO ordinance.

However, Coyle said it also depends how close a particular bill relates to city operations.

A move to restrict drag queens from reading to children at libraries, for example, would fall within the city’s jurisdiction. However, bills related to school districts or penalizing doctors for performing gender reassignment surgery might not.

Councilman Manny Pelaez (D8), the committee’s chairman and a 2025 mayoral candidate, said he supports the city being more explicit and aggressive, though he said, “We all know what’s going to happen” at the Republican-controlled Capitol.

“We also know that the usual refrain will be thrown back at us, which is, ‘I can’t believe you guys are using tax dollars to advocate for, you know, what (Cornerstone Church) Pastor (John) Hagee disagrees with,’” Pelaez said. “Well, I’m OK with advocating for something that, you know, bigots and racists don’t agree with.”

First-term councilwoman Sukh Kaur (D1) questioned whether leaning in on LGBTQ issues would affect the city’s ability to lobby effectively on other issues. Though Coyle said it would, he clarified that anything the city does that conflicts with state leadership could affect other areas.

“But, of course, as a person of color in that community, I definitely want some language there for support,” Kaur said.

Though staff agreed to be more explicit in the wording of the legislative programs, it wasn’t clear how much that would affect their actual lobbying activities.

“We can put stronger language in there that exists today, but there are going to be some areas that we’ve got to make sure we’re within our swim lanes, so to speak,” Coyle told council members.

The full city council had been scheduled to discuss the legislative program next week. However, Pelaez also suggested city staff return to the committee with updated language.

The 89th Texas Legislature convenes Jan. 14, 2025, for its regular session, but members may begin filing bills as early as Nov. 11.

Read the city’s draft legislative agenda below.