| 1 | 1 | | 88R9875 AMB-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Plesa H.R. No. 85 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 6 | 6 | | WHEREAS, Victor L. Holmes and Mark A. Phariss of Plano have |
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| 7 | 7 | | made a lasting, positive difference through their advocacy for the |
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| 8 | 8 | | LGBTQ+ community; and |
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| 9 | 9 | | WHEREAS, A longtime couple, Vic Holmes and Mark Phariss were |
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| 10 | 10 | | two of the plaintiffs in DeLeon v. Abbott, a successful lawsuit |
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| 11 | 11 | | against the State of Texas that ended its prohibitions against |
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| 12 | 12 | | same-sex marriages; they also supported the right to marry by |
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| 13 | 13 | | filing amicus briefs with the U.S. Supreme Court in Obergefell v. |
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| 14 | 14 | | Hodges and the Texas Supreme Court in Pidgeon v. Turner; their |
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| 15 | 15 | | stalwart efforts garnered national attention, and in 2017, the |
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| 16 | 16 | | University of North Texas Press published a book, Accidental |
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| 17 | 17 | | Activists: Mark Phariss, Vic Holmes, and Their Fight for Marriage |
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| 18 | 18 | | Equality in Texas; they wed on November 21, 2015; and |
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| 19 | 19 | | WHEREAS, Mr. Phariss has practiced business law in Texas for |
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| 20 | 20 | | 38 years; dedicated to civil rights, he has championed the Equality |
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| 21 | 21 | | Act and nondiscrimination ordinances in San Antonio and Plano; he |
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| 22 | 22 | | has served on the boards of such organizations as the Human Rights |
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| 23 | 23 | | Campaign, Equality Texas, and the Hendrick Scholarship Foundation; |
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| 24 | 24 | | in 2018, he became the first openly gay candidate to be nominated in |
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| 25 | 25 | | a contested party primary for a Texas Senate seat, and in the |
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| 26 | 26 | | general election, he carried the vote in Plano, Richardson, and |
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| 27 | 27 | | Dallas; and |
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| 28 | 28 | | WHEREAS, For more than two decades, including the Don't Ask, |
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| 29 | 29 | | Don't Tell era, Mr. Holmes served his country in the United States |
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| 30 | 30 | | Air Force, attaining the rank of major; today, he teaches aspiring |
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| 31 | 31 | | physician assistants as an associate professor at the University of |
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| 32 | 32 | | North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth; he serves as the |
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| 33 | 33 | | faculty advisor for Pride at UNTHSC, and he has shared his time and |
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| 34 | 34 | | talents with the boards of numerous nonprofit organizations, among |
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| 35 | 35 | | them, Ed-U-Care Dallas, the LBGT PA Caucus, and the Coalition for |
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| 36 | 36 | | Aging LGBT; and |
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| 37 | 37 | | WHEREAS, Vic Holmes and Mark Phariss have demonstrated an |
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| 38 | 38 | | unyielding commitment to the advancement of human rights and the |
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| 39 | 39 | | LGBTQ+ community, and in so doing, they have earned the admiration |
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| 40 | 40 | | and appreciation of innumerable people; now, therefore, be it |
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| 41 | 41 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas |
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| 42 | 42 | | Legislature hereby honor Victor L. Holmes and Mark A. Phariss for |
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| 43 | 43 | | their civic engagement and contributions to the LGBTQ+ community |
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| 44 | 44 | | and extend to them sincere best wishes for the future; and, be it |
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| 45 | 45 | | further |
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| 46 | 46 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 47 | 47 | | prepared for Mr. Holmes and Mr. Phariss as an expression of high |
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| 48 | 48 | | regard by the Texas House of Representatives. |
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