Dave Wilson Civil Rights Essay

“We question why this trustee is working against the students he is supposed to represent...the call to remove politicitions who are no longer meeting the needs of the people they represent [is a time honored tradition]...we the board to start removal pocedures against this individual.”

K. Kelly Meine called for the removal of HCC Board of Trustee Dave Wilson at the board meeting on Sept. 17. Attempts to reach Wilson for comment were unsuccessful.

Meine is the president of Houston Community College Central chapter of OUT Student and Allies.

Trustee Wilson has petitioned the City of Houston to establish that gender identity is assigned at birth. He has also advocated against the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance, popularly known as HERO. Wilson also tried to remove HCC’s participation in the city gay pride parade.

According to the U.S.

Department of Education, transgender identities are protected under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. Two months ago, OUTSA form a petition against Wilson’s gender-assigned-at-birth petition on Change.org. It has garnered 48 signatures.

Here is a excerpt from their petition:

“Should Mr. Wilson’s petition to strictly assign gender identity at birth be successful, this will force Houston Community College (and every other federally funded educational system within Houston city limits) to violate Title IX. This will put HCC at risk of litigation and/or loss of federal funds. Both of these could possibly have extremely negative effects upon HCC’s financial stability.”

“...we ask that Mr. Wilson cease working to violate the civil rights of the students he is supposed to be representing.”

Read the full petition here: http://chn.ge/1VbyAAU

Meine said in an interview that, “...there are transgender students at this school. If he’s successful in his attempt, that actually creates a hostile environment for them...I’ve met staff and faculty who are transgender, so that would also affect

them.”

“If he ceases these kind of activities, I’m fine with him remaining as a trustee,” Meine said, “I think that some of his investigations into the financial issues on the board, have actually been pretty beneficial. I’m not opposed to Dave Wilson as a trustee, I’m opposed to Dave Wilson using his position as a trustee to harm the students of the school.”

Wilson has always been an anti-LGBT activist, but Meine noted that, “since he has taken his position on the board, he has been very, very much using that position to try to come from a position of authority in his activision.”

Besides how the policies he advocates for will affect students, staff and faculty, Meine says that, “the fact that he’s doing that is just, in my opinion, unethical.” Adding that, “His activistism, and his work for HCC shouldn’t have anything to do with one another.”

Trustee Wilson has a controversial streak. He led voters to believe he was black to win his position on the board in the largely black District II.

Trustees must live in the district which they represent. Wilson claimed to live in the apartment above his warehouse, which had no shower or refrigerator at the time of the election. His wife listed a different address. After he won, he was taken to court to determine if he actually lived in-district before he was allowed to take his seat as trustee. His petition to amend the city charter to prevent men "who perceive or express themselves as women" from using women's restrooms. He was confident he had enough signatures, but he was 300 signatures short of qualifying for the ballot.

OUTSA meets on the second Tuesday, and the fourth Wednesday of the month. Their upcoming general meetings are on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 3–5 pm, Central campus, LHSB room 100 and Wednesday Oct. 28, 3–5pm Central campus, LHSB room 101.