Fliers draw ire of House women

State Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D- Houston, made clear Thursday that women in the Texas Legislature are not to be messed with.

The Texas Civil Justice League—a tort reform group—issued fliers that showed a child drinking from a woman's breast to oppose amendments in a bill that had nothing to do with women, children or nursing.

The flier read: "Don't expand the Nanny State."

Thompson, a highly respected House member, and a bipartisan group of women in the Texas House showed that they would not tolerate the objectification of women. While state Rep. Debbie Riddle, R-Tomball, accused the men of looking at pornography on the House floor.

Below are some Thompson's comments. They are worth a read.

"I'm going to tell you that I am really disgusted and really ashamed that there is nothing better that some of these organizations find than kicking women. God made me a woman and thank God that he made your mother a woman because you men wouldn't be here."

"Lawmakers, as we are, have an opportunity to shape the attitudes of the public and those attitudes can be positive towards women. They can be negative towards women or they can be both."

"Some of you may find  (these fliers) funny but I find them despicable. I find them distasteful. I find them hateful and I find that they foster violence and disrespect toward women."

"This ought to embitter you. It ought to make you angry that somebody is this disrespectful that they have to put this sort of thing out just to get at a bill."

"If you have the intestinal fortitude, and I believe you do, stand up and tell this organization that this is not acceptable conduct for the members of this House. It is not acceptable conduct to put women down like this."

"This is not a tactic to get this bill passed. I don't care if you kill this bill. I want you to remember one thing that I'm saying today —I don't appreciate this attack on women. I don't appreciate this flier. I'm going to tell you something. I don't perpetrate violence against somebody but if they were here I would probably bloody their nose right here on this floor."

"They have no right to do women this way. And we have not earned this disrespect in this House. We fight here. We get elected just like you do and we have not earned this type of disrespect."

"Men, if you don't stand up for us today. Don't you walk in this chamber tomorrow."

Below is an exchange between Riddle and Thompson:

Riddle: "You know that you are our hero."

Thompson: "I'm trying to make the men be a hero too."

Riddle: "Do you think this has become standard operating procedure by some because of what goes on in this House with the way some of the men have treated some of the women? With pornography on the floor of the House?"

By the end of the nearly 10 minute speech, Thompson received a standing ovation.

The group later issued an apology.

E. Lee Parsley, the general counsel for the Texas Civil Justice League, said the flier should have never been distributed.

"The handout that caused offense was never considered appropriate, and I should have destroyed the copies," Parsley said. "I showed extremely poor judgement in handing the flier to someone not associated with the Texas Civil Justice League, who scanned and distributed it."

 

Comments

[LLBD]

This is a case of poor judgment when it comes to advertising. The nursing moment between mother and child is a personal moment. The advertising agency could have found a better image to use than this one. SHAME!