Dallas Voice (Dallas, Tex.), Vol. 26, No. 35, Ed. 1 Friday, January 15, 2010 Page: 4 of 44
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texasnews
instantTEA
Paul Scott: exit interview
A month before he steps down as
executive director of Equality Texas,
Scott looks back at past progress
and ahead to future victories
JOHN WRIGHT I News Editor
wright@dallasvoice.com
AUSTIN — Equality Texas announced last
week that Executive Director Paul Scott will step
down at the end of February after four years at
the organization's helm. Scott, who previously
headed Resource Center Dallas, will become ex-
ecutive director of AIDS Services of Austin.
Scott sat down with Dallas Voice this week to
discuss his time at Equality Texas and talk about
what the future holds for the statewide LGBT ad-
vocacy group.
DV: What were the factors that led to your de-
cision to leave?
P.S.: "I think the primary issue for me was, it
was a unique opportunity. I never intended to
look ... but this position came up due to the re-
tirement of Lee Manford, who was with AIDS
Services of Austin for 12 years. I took it as an op-
portunity to look at getting reconnected with di-
rect services again, and specifically with HTV and
AIDS, which is a significant part of my back-
ground. And as I explored the opportunity I felt
that it was a good opportunity for me to move:
back into the direct service field, which is kind of
Paul Scott
like a co-equal passion of mine, in terms of HIV
and AIDS work, along with the equality work
I've been doing for the last four years."
D V: Speaking of those four years> what would
you say was your biggest accomplishment dur-
ing that time?
P.S.: "Depending on how you focus it, there are
several. One is increasing the capacity of the or-
ganization to do its work across the state, as well
as moving the organization to a level of sustain-
ability in order to be more effective at the Texas
Capitol and in other places around the state. So I
think in terms of organizational work, that's a
key accomplishment. The second, in terms of the
mission of our organization, is really moving for-
ward in terms of how we do our work at the
Capitol and the level of professionalism we've
developed in terms of our staff and our work
with our legislators. I think I'm extremely, ex-
tremely proud of the staff here in particular, in
terms of how we are respected at the Capitol as
an organization. I think one thing we've seen
over the last two legislative sessions is that our
reputation among both our allies as well as those
legislators who don't agree with our issues, that
we are considered a go-to resource. Our informa-
tion is accurate and up to date, and we are re-
spected in terms of the information that we're
giving them in order to support their positions.
That is. something that I'm very proud of."
DV: On the flip side, what has been your
biggest disappointment or regret?
P.S,: "I think with anybody in this type of
work, advocacy work, I think you definitely
want to be able to see a full-fledged passing of a
law and signing by the governor. But we all
know the challenges in terms of making that hap
pen. So I think in terms of a dream, that would
be the biggest regret—passing a specific piece of
â– SCOTT, Page 12
Creating Change's 'starting lineup' features local activists
Maria Compton
4 dallasvoice.com â– 01.15.10
Dallas organizers to offer tips on
everything from political organizing
to presenting GayBingo
DAVID TAFFET I Staff Writer
taffet@dallasvoice.com
Dallas is a city known for its strong, numerous
and varied LGBT organizations. Anumber of local
activists and organizers from those groups will be
workshop presenters at the Creating Change con-
ference being held in Dallas Feb. 3-7,
Stonewall Democrats of Dallas President Erin
Moore will present a workshop on working with
partisan organizations.
"We're going to be talking about working
strategically in hostile environments," Moore said.
"We're a red state and we were a red city."
She said they would discuss both their suc-
cesses and failures in both electing LGBT officials
and getting protections enacted for LGBT people.
As examples, Moore cited the Dallas and Fort
Worth non-discrimination ordinances as well as
police and fire department, Dallas Area Rapid
Transit and Dallas Independent School District
policies as important milestones.
Moore said that she is still lining up people in-
volved in successful elections that placed LGBT
candidates in office and those who helped pass
local ordinances.
Although not the official title, she said she
wanted to call her workshop, "Don't it make my
red state blue."
Maria Compton and Maeve O'Connor are
among four local panelists for a workshop on
transgender issues called "Getting to Know You."
Compton said people will be asked to put ques-
tions they have on index cards. She said she has
found that some people are afraid to offend them
by asking questions directly.
"But I have developed a thick skin," Compton
said.
â– WORKSHOPS, Page 11
DallasVoice.com/Instant-Tea
Subway coming to the strip
A representative from Subway restau-
rants confirmed Tuesday, Jan. 12 that the
chain has signed a lease to open a store on
the Cedar Springs strip, at the site of the
old Crossroads Market. The Subway store
will occupy the space between Hunky's,
which is moving across Throckmorton
Street to the corner of the newly renovated
building, and
TapeLenders.
Hunky's will be in
the portion of the
Crossroads build-
ing that was de-
voted to the
coffee shop, while
Subway will be in
the area that was
devoted to the Scott Whittall
bookstore. Monica Infante, a manager in
Subway's Northeast Texas development of-
fice, said the new store likely will open in the
next 90 days.
Scott Whittall, co-owner of Buli Cafe and
president of the Cedar Springs Merchants
Association, said Subway wasn't exactly on
his wish list of new retailers for the strip. "It's
not really a competition thing, it's more of a
chain thing," Whittall said. "Cedar Springs
has had boutique- type, single-owner, gay-
owned stores on it for years and years and
years, but I guess it's just a fact we have to
deal with. Chains are out there, and I guess
it was just inevitable that we would get one
or two. We can't control what comes in
and out of the street. We can only hope
they add to the neighborhood and add to
the traffic."
Infante said Subway has been looking to
open a store on Cedar Springs for about
10 years, because it's a heavily populated
area that is underserved by the chain:
"Knowing the history behind Cedar
Springs, I think it will be something positive.
Hopefully once it does open people will be
as excited as we are about it."
— John Wright
Phelpses show us some hate
We've been a little left out lately here in
Dallas with all the national attention going to
Houston. But on Feb. 1, the "God Hates
Fags" lunatics from Westboro Baptist
Church of Topeka, Kan., will be coming to
Dallas. Irwin Cotler, a member of the Cana-
dian Parliament, will be speaking at a Jew-
ish Federation women's luncheon. Cotler
was the Canadian justice minister. In that
position, he appointed two judges to the
Canadian Supreme Court who voted for
marriage equality. His appointments gave
the Canadian Supreme Court the most
gender parity of any high court in the world.
Fred Phelps' clan was last in Texas for
Annise Parker's inauguration as mayor of
Houston. Four members of their group
showed up and were met by dozens of
counter-demonstrators carrying signs refer-
ring to other Biblical bans, such as "God
Hates Shrimp."
— David Taffet
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Nash, Tammye. Dallas Voice (Dallas, Tex.), Vol. 26, No. 35, Ed. 1 Friday, January 15, 2010, newspaper, January 15, 2010; Dallas, Texas. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth239099/m1/4/: accessed March 29, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.