Houston's LGBTQ chair told ABC13 he wanted a meeting with the mayor, but says instead was dismissed
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- After the City of Houston LGBTQ advisory board chair spoke to ABC13 about wanting to meet with Mayor John Whitmire, he said he was informed weeks later that he was dismissed.
Jacques Bourgeois served on the mayor's LGBTQ advisory board for seven years and was chair under Sylvester Turner. The former mayor created the board after the LGBTQ community was targeted in the deadly Pulse Club shooting in Orlando.
After Whitmire was sworn in, Bourgeois had hoped to meet with the new mayor. He requested a meeting for more than a year.
"Our community needs as much support as possible in these trying times," Bourgeois explained. "His support is invaluable."
Bourgeois expressed his concern with ABC13 in June. Weeks later, instead of a meeting, Bourgeois said he received an email saying he was dismissed.
SEE MORE: City of Houston's LGBTQ advisory board has yet to meet with Mayor John Whitmire
"It felt like retaliation," Bourgeois said. "I'm going to be plain and clear like that. It felt like if we spoke up and said, 'hey, we're trying to reach out to you. This is the best we could do,' and your response is, 'Goodbye.'"
ABC13 reached out to Whitmire's office about the dismissal. The mayor's office cited Whitmire's decades in the legislature fighting for LGBTQ rights, and the awards he won doing so.
They added boards evolve, and it was time to shape a new group that reflects the needs, momentum, and diversity of the city. The mayor's office said many members were serving on expired terms, including Bourgeois.
Still, it's a change Bourgeois says he didn't see coming. "It wasn't until the story came out that they started to put energy into our board," Bourgeois said.
Whitmire was sworn into office in January of last year. Bourgeois said that for a year and a half, he never met with him.
Less than a month after the story, a meeting with the mayor's staff took place. Shortly after, he was dismissed.
Despite what happened, Bourgeois said he has no regrets about speaking to ABC13. "My job is to speak up and speak out," Bourgeois explained.
Something Bourgeois hopes the new board continues to do. "I know they're going to do great work moving forward and I laud them for that," Bourgeois explained. "I just hope they don't have to deal with the silence."
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