Nearly 7,000 Referendum Signatures Collected

Plano, TX, January 21, 2015 – Today, Plano Citizens United, a coalition of local citizens, leaders and pastors, announced they have collected more than double the necessary signatures required to force the Plano City Council to repeal or place on the ballot the recently passed “Equal Rights Ordinance.” The ordinance threatens the religious freedom of Plano citizens and small businesses by criminalizing mainstream religious views about sexuality and gender. Legal experts have argued that the ordinance violates the U.S. Constitution, the Texas Constitution, and the Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

Jonathan Saenz, president of Texas Values Action, released the following statement:

“The people of Plano have made their voice loud and clear – it is time to repeal this anti-religious freedom ordinance. The heroic effort of the Plano citizens in organizing and collecting signatures well above the required amount, during the Christmas season, only further shows how out of step the Mayor and Plano City Council are with the people they are supposed to represent. These LGBT special rights ordinances are designed to be used as weapons against people of sincere faith, as we have seen in Houston. The people of Plano, just like in Houston, are ready to put an end to government hostility towards our First Freedom.”

A spokesperson for Plano Citizens United released the following statement:

“In spite of the challenges created by the suspect timing of the City Council’s passage of this ordinance, we set a goal to collect twice the minimum number of signatures needed. We want to send a clear message to Mayor LaRosiliere, and Councilmen Miner, Davidson, Smith, and Downs who all voted for this ordinance. You can ignore the citizens at the City Council meeting, but we will make our voices heard with this petition and next May at the polls. We are certain that once Plano citizens realize the City Council has criminalized religious views about sex and gender, the ordinance will be rejected overwhelmingly at the polls. The citizens of Plano are good and decent and treat one another with respect, so criminalizing the beliefs of our diverse communities of faith does not advance the common good.”

Texas Values Action has been a leading statewide organization fighting against attacks on religious freedom, including in Houston and San Antonio.

About Texas Values Action

Texas Values Action is the 501(c)(4) advocacy arm of Texas Values, a non-profit organization dedicated to standing for faith, family, and freedom in Texas. More information is available at txvaluesaction.org.