To the Office of Senator John Cornyn: We directly denounce the past statements, ideology, and behavior of Jeff Mateer, who is up for a lifetime seat on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. We believe the only appropriate response to the nominee's bigoted remarks about Sen. Cornyn’s LGBT constituents (and his other disqualifying statements) is for the senator to immediately withdraw his support and stand with The People of the State of Texas, and defend the rights of individuals all over the United States. Our direct ask is two-fold: 1) We ask that the Senator publicly withdraw support from this nominee and vote against his confirmation in the Judiciary Committee and on the Senate Floor. 2) We ask that the Senator carefully review future nominations before returning the blue slips in order to avoid this situation going forward. Mateer has called a first grader part of “Satan’s plan” because she is transgender. Surely the Senator can agree that someone who would make such a cruel and biased statement is not fit to serve as a judge. (https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2017/09/28/cruz-stands-trump-court-pick-sees-satans-plan-transgender-kids) Mateer doesn’t believe the Constitution protects any LGBT civil rights. He says, “I’ve read the 14th Amendment thousands of times...I don’t see anything about right to same-sex marriage. I don’t see anything saying right to homosexuality. I don’t see anything about right to privacy.” (https://www.dallasvoice.com/jeff-mateer-yet-another-right-wing-judicial-nominee-10243707.htm) Mateer’s positions hurt everyone, as they undermine religious liberty in our state, our country, and in the courtroom. With the actions of the Texas State government to threaten the trans community with costly, cruel, meaningless legislative threats in the 2017 Texas Special Session and the President’s decision to unilaterally attack trans patriots serving in the armed forces, all to score points with a minority political base that stands against American values, we believe now is a critical time for the Senator and other representatives to stand up and fight for the rights of everyone. We urge the Senator and others like him to not discriminate in protecting The People. Our gender, sex, race, color, creed, or any other distinction make us all vulnerable to attacks on our identities. We are The People, and we demand to be represented, especially in the face of a wave of national bigotry. We subscribe to the ideology that none of us are free until all of us are, and submit that this ideology is as the heart of what would be a modernized, healthy, interpretation of the United States Constitution. Jeff Mateer stands opposed to these values, and therefore, we stand opposed to him. We encourage the senator to take his role of advice and consent on behalf of Texas, and as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee very seriously. If he rubberstamps this unfit judge, he undermines a fair and decent judiciary. Undersigned, Frances Valdez, President, Houston GLBT Political Caucus Daniel J. Cohen, Founder, Indivisible HoustonMike Floyd, Pearland ISD Trustee Brad Pritchett and Fran Watson, Transform Houston Alexis Melvin, President, Transgender foundation of America Board Approval, Indivisible Austin
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